When Light Touches Dark
by BlackVelvett Revolver
Summary: The story before the story. It was not the first time Balinor was on the brink of oblivion. Only Ildrianna, the rightful queen of Balinor, can save her kingdom, but can she defeat the Dark Prince who has captured her heart?
1. The Escape

**When Light Touches Dark**

A _Unicorns of Balinor_ FanFiction

By: _BlackVelvett Revolver_

* * *

**The Escape**

* * *

It was the only way, the only path and option left to her, at least that what she tried to convince herself. How could it be that her life had turned into complete disaster? She didn't know and at the moment she didn't care—Ildrianna was fleeing for her life. Never before in Balinoran history had a member of the royal family been escorted by seven Celestial unicorns; a member of each band galloping fast, breathing hard, and foaming about their mouths from exertion.

Ildrianna clutched at Ocean's twisted mane, weaving her trembling fingers within the fine hairs so that she could hold on with all her might to the mount stretching and straining beneath her. She ducked her head closer to the stallion's powerful neck, smelling the pungent scent of sweat and dirt; however, it was over shadowed by whirling pine and evergreen, mint and jasmine. Even when in the gravest of danger, under the direst of circumstances Dria could not deny the calming scent of the heavenly creatures around her.

Each color had a unique characteristic scent that marked them. Running flat out ahead of the diamond formation was a long legged honey colored unicorn who smelled of heather. As a lead mare she was swift of foot and agile, able to spin and change directions in a heartbeat. She lived up to her name of Rapid. She seemed the least affected of the entourage; her stride never wavered nor slowed, only kept the pace set.

Flanking the golden mare were two other unicorns, a Red and a Green. However the Red, whose scent was spicy, was not a true crimson but more of an aged wine color and the Green, who smelled of fresh earth after a rainstorm, was more mossy and pale. Each was muscular and strongly built, lean yet powerful.

At Dria's sides were a Violet, who smelled of lavender, and Orange, who smelled of vanilla and saffron. Strong and heavyset they were to protect the flanks. In the rear was a Blue and Indigo, who smelled of jasmine and rain, they were like phantoms in the night, their hides blending with the cool air and broke up the vivid colors of the small band. They had the most work for they wove amongst the trees, broadening the path and confusing the trail.

Ildrianna glanced backwards and found that they were no longer there. The forest sped past her in a blur of dull greens and flurries of white. She breathed out, her breath a puff of mist in the chilling night air. A tree limb suddenly grazed the side of her face, viciously reminding her to keep close to her mount.

_My lady, you must be more careful of your scent, otherwise they will find us_. Her steed admonished for her sudden lack of concentration. _Need your situation be reminded?_ His voice was harsh as it resounded through her mind.

"No!" Dria all but shouted at her mount. "I was merely seeing if the Blues were alright." She found herself sobbing, an action she deemed rather undignified. The princess was deeply hurt that Ocean would slap her with the reality of the situation when she knew it so clearly. She didn't need to be reminded.

Ocean shook his head and flattened his ears, truly sorry about his abrasive tone against his rider; but he could never apologize for it. It wasn't in his nature. Instead he focused on the forest around him and let his senses stretch out. It was the ability for each Celestial unicorn under their hue to be able to communicate telepathically to their color band herd mates. Ocean was a member of the Indigo band; his own color much darker compared to his other herd mate. Hues close to other bands could also communicate telepathically to their sister colors, though not as well as with their own.

He searched behind him with his mind, allowing the jewel at the base of his horn to glow dimly in the night.

Almost immediately he felt the presence of his Celestial herd mates as they answered his call. Both were well, off weaving more difficult paths for their pursuers, scouting while they did so. They did not believe they were being followed at the moment. The violet stud in front of Ocean also answered, adding that he did not feel the ominous aura of pursuit.

_All is well, my lady, they merely disappeared to make the trail more difficult to follow_. He told Ildrianna.

Dria rubbed her fingers into Ocean's neck, knowing that the stallion was making amends for his outburst. "I do not want any more to die for me."

_No one will die this night, my queen, I can promise you that._ Ocean reassured her with his thoughts.

Dria recoiled. Her mother was not even cold in her grave yet and she was already replaced! How could this be, Dria felt she was no queen. "Don't call me that!"

_You must take up the mantle of your birthright, my lady; you are a princess no longer. You are queen._ The indigo stallion let loose a mighty cry at his bold declaration and suddenly plunged ahead in a burst of speed, his powerful frame and long stride easily carrying him closer to the amber mare in the lead. His physical display forced his companions to keep pace and the chorus of driving hooves crescendoed into a frenzy of pounding drums.

"What if I don't want to be queen!" Ildrianna cried, shaking her head and clutching her legs tighter around Ocean's barrel, holding on for dear life. One thing she had learned from her companion was that his power could not be overlooked. Heavily muscled, tall, with an impressive trim silhouette, Ocean was the alpha of the Indigo band, a prince in his own right. His stature dwarfed the Royal unicorns of the stables and intimidated the lesser unicorns of the countryside. Even the Wild Ones were humbled under his presence.

Knowing that, with such an impressive creature under her hands, Ildrianna felt ashamed to be his rider. It was not that she felt shame because of him but because of herself.

When a member of the royal family reached a certain age they visited the Celestial Valley and there they were partnered with their very own unicorn for life. The entire band would be represented; however, only a select few were allowed to stand before the family to be judged, weighed, and measured. But it was the humans who were judged. If the mortal was indeed of poor quality then a lesser unicorn would present itself. If the mortal was worthy then an appropriate unicorn would step forward.

Never before had a member of the Celestial royal band been asked to be sent down to the mortal world below, it was simply unheard of. But Ocean was compelled, sensing that his rider was near.

Many, from the mortal and heavenly plain, expected great things from the pair, especially from Ildrianna. A great weight settled upon her shoulders on that day; when she looked into Ocean's great eyes she felt a doom and a blessing upon her. Never before had she felt such dualities within herself. Before her was her other half and she felt unworthy to be Ocean's rider. She was not brave, she was not heroic, and she was surely not courageous. In the face of disaster she fled the winter castle.

Dria hung her head in grief and humiliation. Because of her cowardice she would never see her mother or father alive again. She did not know what became of her younger sister and brother; for all she knew they were as lifeless as her parents.

There was no hope.

If this is what it meant to be queen then she didn't want any part of the title, not the fortune or the power, if it meant giving up her entire family. Tears streamed down her eyes as she continued to sob into Ocean's neck, twisting her fingers this way and that within his azure mane. The Vurinada could have her throne, have her kingdom; Balinor was lost as far as Ildrianna was concerned. The warhorse beneath her was convinced otherwise, as well as the other ethereal creatures about her. They were risking their lives to make sure she was kept alive. To them, she was Balinor.

_Keep alert, something this way comes!_ Came the whispered rasp of the Blue from the distance, her voice tickled across her mind and echoed within the minds of the other cooler hues. The Orange relayed the message to Rapid, the golden mare, who suddenly banked hard to her right, her hind quarters gathering and launching her off into another direction. The rest were sore to follow her exact movement; none were as agile as she. She snorted and pumped her limbs harder than ever with her ears pinned back to her skull as she let her head down a bit to lengthen her stride.

She made sure all her companions ran with their heads held high to keep their strides relatively the same. And if need be they could let their heads go in a burst of speed. It was easier to gallop in such a way.

_Where do they come from?_ She breathed; her voice all silk and smooth. Dria's mind flooded with amber fields of hay and heather, clouded with the aroma of sugared spices.

_They are behind us, closing in from the southwest._ Sighed an answer, the Indigo suddenly appearing in between Ocean and the Orange. Her voice was dark and sultry; the scent of jasmine and pine was laden heavily in the air between them. Her stride easily matched that of her herd mates'.

_They will not overtake us for many miles, however it is inevitable. We can no longer travel at night. Something wicked breathes here._ The Blue materialized in front of Ocean and easily slid between the Red and the Green, catching up with the lead mare with little effort. His mouth gaped open as he struggled to breathe, gulping air as his sides heaved, flanks dripped with sweat.

_What do you mean?_ Questioned the gold, suddenly altering course, the band was quicker to follow suit.

_While I was away I drifted behind, keeping south, weaving in and out of animal trails. Then I was surrounded by impenetrable shadows. They rose and engulfed me, it was a sickening magic that covered by eyes and nostrils, making me blind and breathless. Only by the light of the moon were they dispelled as I entered a meadow; it was then that I saw them._ The Blue explained, changing his leading leg to follow the serpentine that the mare was maneuvering.

_What did you see, brother?_ Asked the Violet; intent on the story. Were the rumors true?

"Shadow unicorns." He breathed aloud so all could hear.

Ocean snorted furiously, if he had not had the connection he had with his herd mate then he would never have believed his own ears. The rumors spoke truth, and what's worse, they really could move through shadow, or so it seemed.

_You must be mistaken!_ The Red shouted, stumbling over a rough patch of terrain at hearing the news. _Shadow unicorns are a myth, the Father and Mother would never create such terrible creatures._

_I speak only truth._ The Blue replied, still winded from his report.

_Then we are only days ahead of them? We don't have much time. How long until we are there, Rapid?_ Asked the indigo mare; her stride becoming pitched and erratic. She was exhausted with the journey.

_We've still a good few days left, we need all the ground we can muster this night and the morrow. It will take some time to get the portal open._ The mare replied, changing gears yet again and switching directions. The blues needed to stay scarce for the moment so it was up to Rapid to keep the trail difficult to follow. Sudden changes in directions could swiftly confuse the failing tracker, not noticing until they were good and lost. That was what Rapid hoped for. It was what they needed. Otherwise it would take a miracle to get to the portal and open it in time to send her majesty safely to the Other Side.

* * *

"We must hurry!" The golden mare screamed harshly into the freezing night air. She spun wildly about to catch the flank of shadow that lay exposed to her. The answering screech was ear splitting and the swarming shadow dispersed around its victim.

The rest of the Celestial unicorns weren't fairing much better. Late on the last night, the last leg of the journey to the portal, the enemy surprised everyone in an ambush. Ocean suspected that they were catching wind of their scheme and were making their way to the Gap. It was mere myth to the mortals below; however, to have elite runners of the Celestial Herd personally escorting the last living member of Balinor was damning. The myth seemed to carry some substance.

Shadow unicorns! The rumors didn't exaggerate. Their powers of the night were the stuff of nightmares. Able to rise from any inky darkness, they could raid from any point they wished along the journey and did not need to waste the effort of running to get there. Any shadow was part of their network. Not only that they could disappear into shadow, blending seamlessly into the night, along with their riders.

The band was running for their lives, already a Green had fallen just miles back, using his own body to protect Ildrianna from a two prong attack on her life. The viciously sharpened points of Shadow unicorn horns impaled the Green. Dria would never forget the terrible wailing shriek as the Green collapsed to the snow covered forest floor, blood smattering the pristine white. The scene was horrific as the riders of the black unicorns drew their swords and plunged them into the dying Green's sides as it writhed on its back.

Dria wanted to vomit as the riders fought over who would get the beast's horn as the prize and who would get the jewel. They squabbled and quarreled and were left behind as the other Celestial unicorns fled the scene. Nothing could be done for their fallen comrade who died gloriously doing his duty. The other unicorns huddled closer to Dria and Ocean, never allowing much space to come between them.

"They're coming!" The Blue shouted as they simultaneously jumped over a fallen tree in their path.

Behind them sprouted the fiends of the devil himself as six Shadow unicorns emerged from total darkness. Legs flailing, eyes wide and bright, mouth agape in an awful war cry, they plunged forward in hot pursuit of their quarry. Their riders were dressed in light armor, naked swords held at the ready to swipe at their enemies. They rode their mounts bareback; no heavy saddle or armor to weigh their steeds down. The only tack they wore was bridles, shining wickedly in the weak moonlight—the clouds conspired to hide the full moon's radiance. They wore capes of ash, heavy and laden with wool to keep out the biting cold. Winter was in full force in the upper mountains. Though dressed for winter the attire served a dual purpose: protected passage between the worlds of reality and shadow.

As the steeds passed into darkness, their entire essence dissolved into nothingness and the world around them went black and cold. Nothing existed between these worlds because it was the space between two realms, which was the highway they marched through.

"They're behind us!" Ildrianna shouted; eyes bright as she spurred Ocean onward. She wished she were anywhere but there. She wished she were in her castle home before the hearth with her mother where she patiently would watch over her and her siblings while reading. Her father would be arguing with the court ministers. Her sister would be trying to learn to sew but lacked the patience to keep at it. Her brother would be wrestling with the royal dogs. If only that dream was reality.

_We're almost there. Streamer, River, escort Ocean to the gap and begin the opening process. The rest shall fight off the pursuers._ Rapid ordered, turning on her heels and facing the oncoming threat. The Red, Orange, and Violet turned as well and lined up next to the mare, heads lowered, hooves pawing at the snowy earth.

The Blue and the two Indigos raced forward, knowing where the portal was; just beyond the copse of trees within the craggy rock. A powerful swell of deep magic permeated the air as they grew closer to their goal.

Rapid allowed her companions to catch their breaths as they prepared to face their foes.

_Whatever happens we must buy enough time to get the portal open and make sure the queen gets there safely. We must distract them._ Rapid spoke softly but with much authority. Her sides were caked with grime and sweat, heaving just as much as her herd mates'. But she refused to give in to fatigue; it would defile Numinor's good faith in her. She would never fail him.

_They come._ Whispered the Orange; arching his neck and snorting.

Just as the words left the creature's mouth six black unicorns appeared from the darkness. Coats gleamed, not a speck of dirt or sweat cleaving to their hides. They appeared to have little fatigue from the long journey.

They drew up in one line, heads tossing wildly as their riders forced them to a sudden halt. They whinnied and neighed at the restraint, prancing impatiently upon the tips of their hooves.

"Ah, you finally turn to fight, you silly heavenly brutes!" A rider called out mockingly, keeping his seat as he fought for control of his mount. The animal beneath him continued to pace and lunge about the little clearing, pawing the ice packed earth with iron hooves while tossing its head.

Rapid became the picture of ease and grace as she looked upon the lot before her. Her eyes became haughty and menacing as her ears tipped backward and her teeth were flashing.

"And here I have been waiting, what took you so long?" Rapid bit out. There could be no telepathic communication between the forces of light and darkness.

The rider merely smiled and searched within his coat and pulled out a long, perfectly spiraled object. Rapid wanted to strike then and there for the insult he presented her. Poor Treeland, he didn't deserve such a terrible fate. But the object here was to buy time; her inability to control her temper would become their doom.

"Well we couldn't decide what to do with your fallen friend. After much deliberation we decided that since you are a creature of heavenly light we set the corpse on fire. In your honor." The rider laughed, a sound that echoed harshly around the surrounding forest. He threw the bloodied horn on the ground and allowed his black steed to stomp on it, shattering the precious remnant.

"Blasphemous!" The Red trumpeted.

"Yes, you truly are. All of you." The rider spoke, pulling back his hood and revealing his face.

"Prince of Darkness, we finally meet." Rapid spoke; nearly growling out her displeasure. If she only knew that the dark prince was after them, then maybe she would have been a bit more careful, maybe she wouldn't have asked for such a small escort.

"Valorna, I never suspected that you were leading this futile escape attempt. Numinor must be so proud, or be so very stupid. His lust for power must have blinded him to let his only sister come all the way down from heaven only to die a mortal's death." The dark prince said as he inched his mount forward.

Rapid jerked at her proper name, how did he know?

"He sent me to stop you. You may have killed the royal king and queen but already there is a new queen."

"Ah, you mean the little princess. Where is she, exactly? I've never known a royal of Balinor to run away from a fight." The dark prince lifted his long sword and smiled wickedly.

"Out of your reach, little lord." The golden mare responded mockingly.

"Into the fabled chasm between worlds? I have to say I can't let that happen, father would be displeased." The prince's words were like acid, grating to hear.

"I do not care what displeases your father, you cannot have her." Rapid lowered her head and watched every movement of the prince. "Vurinadan scum. If you want her you must go through me, Daughter of the Sun."

"And me," The Violet declared.

"And me!" The Red and Orange exclaimed together.

The prince nodded and smiled, signaling the others to ready their weapons. "Very well." And with that he allowed his steed to vault forward into the melee.

* * *

_It's here, my lady. Allow us some time to ready the portal._

The two blue hues stepped closer to the crevice in the rock façade before them and bathed in the welling deep magic that emitted from it. Almost immediately it offered relief from their strain; a healing affect taking over. The moon peeked behind the cloud cover to illuminate the magical area. Snow could not survive here, the ground was warm and vibrantly green with lush grass and wild flowers. It was spring eternal in this place; a beacon of hope in the dark depths of winter.

"Such a place really exists," Whispered Dria as she dismounted Ocean.

_I thought we would never need to use such a place, only the Old Mare possessed the knowledge to open the portal. It was she who called to send you here until it was safe._ Ocean's deep timber voice resonated with renewed strength as he too drew closer to the fissure.

"What is on the other side?" She asked, a bit of fear laced within the question.

_Another world much like our own but different. They say there is not much magic there, that the people no longer believe as they once had._ Ocean recited all he knew of the place; which, he thought in distaste, was precious little. As he stepped closer to his rider, he puffed into her frazzled hair to reassure her. He would never tell her that he too held some trepidation on crossing over to the Other Side.

"Once we are there, they won't be able to call us back." Dria mourned dejectedly.

_Once we are there we shall regroup and ride forth and return on our own terms._ Ocean pawed the ground.

"What will happen to the others? Once we've gone through, what will they do?"

_They will seal the portal and flee and return to the Valley. Their quest will have been completed._

_My lord and lady, the portal begins to open, prepare thyself_! The Blue informed the pair.

Before them the rock began to shimmer, heave, and actually move as if it were a thing come to life. The crevice began to gape wider and sizzle with heat lightning as the deep magic began to do its wonders. Snow began to recede from around the perimeter of the site; new spring grass grew in its wake. Delicate stems of wild flowers slithered from the damp soil to burst open in bloom. Dria couldn't help herself, she felt all the wonder of magic all around her and for a moment she forgot who and where she was, her duty, and why they were in such a place.

_Climb on my back—_Ocean's voice was cut short as a piercing scream emitted from his throat.

Ildrianna never thought he could make such a sound.

Pandemonium suddenly erupted around them as three Celestial unicorns bounded into the clearing, hides dripping in blood and gore. Following in hot pursuit were four Shadow unicorns, one without a rider. Battle cries pealed like thunder as the battle spilled into the glen.

Ildrianna ran to her unicorn to try to settle him but he was past all anger. A black fletched arrow sprouted from his haunch. The mere audacity of the archer was enough to send the proud creature over the edge in blackened fury!

"How dare thee!" He shouted, turning about to join the battle. Head lowered, he plunged his deadly spear point in the side of an unsuspecting black unicorn. The dark creature reared in surprise, knocking his rider from his seat as Ocean tore his horn from the unicorn's side in a violent twist. Blood spurted from the wound as the animal fell backwards; losing its footing while crushing his rider. In one swift motion Ocean was upon it, rearing back on his powerful hindquarters he sent his iron hooves into the black unicorn's exposed barrel. The creature squealed in pain but nothing could deter the rage directed upon it.

When kicking wasn't enough for the incensed Indigo, he arched his neck, preparing to spear the battered belly of his fallen foe.

"No mercy!" He thundered, finishing the deed.

"Ocean, no!" Dria screamed, not believing the horrors she was seeing with her own eyes. The overgrown giant of a unicorn had never been so violent. She ran over to the stallion, trying to stop the madness but it was only then that she discovered her grave error.

"There you are, little princess." A cold voice washed over the back of her neck, making the fine hairs stand on end. A brutal shiver wrenched down her spine at the sinister sound, never before had she heard such a velvet voice laced so intimately with murder.

She turned her head and saw the source of that contradictory sound. Above her, sitting so elegantly on his black charger, was the Prince of Darkness himself. Dressed in simple clothes with a cloak draped over his shoulder that flapped in the wind, he held a sword in his hand in such a way that made her realize his aptitude with the weapon. His steed looked ready to explode into action at any moment, ready to comply at his master's slightest command. A Shadow unicorn, she noticed that his was much more impressive that the others.

The prince's complexion was pale, marbleized into perfection with haunting eyes that pierced into the depths of her very soul. In that gaze she felt exposed and naked yet at the same time she could not deny his chilling beauty. Was it because she knew she was to die that her mind was focused on such trivial things? She did not know; she only knew that she was the mouse caught in the eyes of the most deadly of vipers.

Before she could open her mouth, the prince raised his sword and hacked at the young woman. The young girl screamed in agony and collapsed to the ground, clutching her side. The prince laughed at her efforts to crawl away, he began scaring her senseless as he allowed his mount to stomp around her.

Ocean whirled about when he heard his rider's cry of pain and he nearly died of shame for allowing the situation to slip. If anything enraged the stallion more it was that his charge was unhappy or hurt. After finishing off the black unicorn beneath him, he ran to his lady's side, buffering away the prince and his mount.

"Step away from her!" He roared.

"Watch yourself, Indigo! I shall not be denied." The prince backed his mount away and raised his sword, swinging at the Celestial unicorn.

"You will be disappointed." Ocean turned and bucked, driving away the prince while protecting his lady.

"Ocean, I'm sorry." Dria whispered as she pulled herself into a ball, the pain was agonizing!

_The portal has opened!_

"Stop her!"

Ocean sunk to his knees and prodded Ildrianna who began laboring rigorously to mount his back in order to make their escape.

The prince wheeled around, made to attack the vulnerable pair, and raised his sword— only to be knocked backward as a Violet unicorn smashed into his charger's side. He toppled to the ground in a heap and was nearly trampled as his mount and the Violet began to battle each other. The prince growled in anger, retrieved his bow and clutch of arrows from the ground and knocked one, ready to let it fly.

"You will not escape." He whispered, vowing he would not face the wrath of his father. He released the arrow, which aimed true, hitting his target square in the chest.

Ocean heaved as pain blossomed in his breast as he strained to regain his feet. He hacked in more pain as another piercing pain hit his shoulder.

"Ocean, you must hurry!" Rapid screamed, battling away two fallen riders who were waving swords at her.

The Indigo heaved, aiming his body to the yawning portal before him, aware that it was beginning to close. Yes, he had to hurry to save his queen, his rider, his partner. He began lunging forward, using all his strength and speed to leave the battlefield behind.

"Stop them!" The dark prince screamed; notching another arrow and letting it fly. "They mustn't reach the Gap!" He retrieved another arrow, that last one just missed the damned Celestial.

One of the riders heard his prince; he was closer to the portal. Abandoning his comrade to fight against the golden mare alone he raised his sword over his head and hurled it after the fleeing Indigo and royal.

The unicorn launched himself from the ground, hurling his body into the magical schism between worlds, his lady holding on for dear life upon his back. From the corner of his eye he saw the glint of metal coming. Stars erupted in his vision as the sword slashed open his neck, more pain accompanied it as another arrow found its target but all attempts to stop the pair from leaving this world failed as they both disappeared into the Gap. Ocean curled his head as he felt he lost something so very important during the journey.

The prince roared in frustration at having lost his quarry. "Father will not be pleased…" He whispered, turning to face the remaining Celestial unicorns. Collecting a few more gems and horns might appease the old man.

The Gap closed with a deafening cracking sound, alerting the Celestial unicorns that their task was complete. "Away!" Shouted Rapid; dispersing the group. The Indigo and Blue bolted from the scene, disappearing into the thicket of the forest. The Violet trailed after them. The Red remained by the golden mare's side, battle wounds weeping.

"It appears you've failed, Son of Darkness." Rapid declared; backing away from the shadow unicorns. "My regards to your father,"

"I will have your head on a stake for the entire world to see!" The prince promised, picking up his sword.

"No more heavenly blood will be spilled this day." The Red spoke aloud.

The black unicorns and riders advanced slowly, ready to leap at their lord's command.

Rapid backed away but suddenly jerked her head up to the horizon above, a smile lighting her features. "The sun rises." With that she took off, the Red following at her side.

"After her!" The prince vaulted onto his charger, ramming his heels into its flanks. It answered with a burst of speed. He was merely steps behind them but the golden mare let loose a clarion call that was as clear as crystal, tossing her head high, with her golden mane fluttering behind her. The Red followed her example and let out a powerful triumphant appeal to the forest, jumping into the air with pure joy. A ray of powerful sunlight filtered through the trees with the strengthening sunrise and the two unicorns ran toward it.

Realizing what they were doing, the prince spurred his mount faster but it was too late. The two beasts raced towards the light and disappeared in a shimmer as if they never were. The black unicorn ran through the same lance of light yet nothing happened. The prince wheeled the creature about and shouted in fury at having been thwarted twice.

No, his father wouldn't be pleased…

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Please read and review! I love to hear your thoughts!

BVR


	2. The Other Side

**The Other Side**

* * *

It was the twelfth century in northern Scotland with winter well settled upon the land. The rolling highlands were decadently covered with snow; the heather filled meadows were bleak and barren, a pristine endless sea of white undisturbed. The skies were hung low with pregnant gray clouds, a flurry seemed imminent at any moment. The air was crisp and clean without a bird in the sky to mark the beginnings of dawn.

Logen MacAlister secured his saddlebags, checking their contents for the final time before he was ready to mount. A shiver passed through him as he stood in near perfect darkness of his horse's stall. The beast shook all over at having been disturbed before the breaking of first light.

Logen clutched his hands closer to his mouth to blow warm air upon them; the half gloves he wore did little to fight off the cold. "If only spring would break upon the highlands," He all but sighed. Winter was all fine and bonny but it was rather tiresome and dreary. The scenery never changed and remained desolate and barren. Forest life, and human life for that matter, seemed to grind to a stuttering halt. True he had more spare time to do with what he will but winter still didn't beat the excitement of the other rolling seasons.

Logen was one of five siblings, the well-adjusted middle child of the household. With two older brothers and two younger sisters he was caught between man and caretaker. Both of his brothers were tall and broad, with hair the color of midnight and eyes crystal blue. Logen, on the other hand, looked little like his father and much like his mother with brunette hair and green eyes.

His eldest brother left to apprentice under the blacksmith in Inverness while his other brother stayed closer to home soldiering for the lord Montgomery. His younger sisters were still too young to be out in society and it was just as well—Logen didn't know what he would do if young men started snooping about their home for his beautiful sisters. Thank the gods they were not yet of age.

After tightening his chestnut's girth, he led the steed from the protection of the barn to endure the windy moors outside. Logen fastened his winter cloak and hefted his sword and bow and mounted when he saw a lantern bobbing in the courtyard before him. Urging the animal forward he approached the moving light to find his father gathering wood from the stockpile to replenish the waning hearth inside.

"You're up rather early, what are ye up to, lad?" Grunted Artair, Logen's father.

Logen struggled to move the collar down from his cloak so he could speak. "Twas merely wantin' to go on a huntin' trip, da." He pushed his copper hair from his face; he'd forgotten to braid it up this morn.

"Ah, donna be telling no tales to your da, I ken what ye are searchin' for. You want to find that horse ye saw on the steps." His father grinned from ear to ear, he knew his son better than he was given credit— he was a horse lover just the same as himself. There was no denying the fact that Logen would be the true inheritor of his lands, to carry on the practice of breeding and training the finest equine specimens.

"You can see through me so easily." Logen wrinkled his nose; his father often told him he was the most predictable of his sons. But in this case he just couldn't help himself— the animal he saw out there upon the moor was the finest beast he had ever seen! The creature had to be at least seventeen hands tall, broad chested, thickly muscled, slender legs, and what looked to be like fine points. But it was seen at such a distance he had to get a closer look!

"If you're plannin' on catching the poor beast, good luck. He looked wild." His father threw over his shoulder as he made his way closer to the cottage.

"You said yourself that no horse is too wild." Logen retorted, turning about his steed and struck out into the surrounding wood. If there was one thing that was certain about his character it was that he was infinitely patient with horses. If it took until world's end he would find that dark stallion and he would catch it, tame it, and ride it on the highlands, being the envy of all who knew. He would breed his own line of pedigree and all the highland lords would want rights to the sire. Logen had big dreams for that horse and it all started with finding and catching it.

* * *

There was no use, he had been at it for days and still all his efforts yielded nothing. Not so much as a hoof print to be found of the confounded animal. Logen knelt down in a patch of weeds that poked their way out of the snow— hardy plants, the thought suddenly occurred to him. In his frustration he began absently plucking them one by one until he was left with nothing but a pile. He growled low in his throat as he began picking up a small clod of snow and threw it with all his might.

His horse, Calwel, stared flatly at his rider, nonplussed. Logen could just imagine all the black things the poor beast was thinking of him, dragging him off all over the countryside in search of a phantom stallion. He hung his head in defeat. Perhaps he would have better luck next trip. He didn't even wish to dwell on the fact that the horse could have already been captured.

Rising to his feet he dusted off his hands and knees and swung his cloak over his shoulders. He turned to Calwel and patted his nose affectionately.

"How 'bout it then, ready to return home?"

The horse merely pricked its ears forward at receiving attention. Logen sighed and began fiddling with various straps and buckles on his saddle, talking nonsense to the horse. He shifted upon his feet to avoid them becoming too numb to the cold. What he wouldn't give for a roaring fire and a bowl full of his mother's stew and a cup of brandy. He was about to mount when he saw his horse's head jerk away from the meager grass he was nibbling to look to the west.

Logen patted the steed's neck, thinking Calwel saw something that might spook it. It seemed rather strange for the well of age stud to be suddenly skittish.

"What's the matter?" He murmured, petting the animal, following its line of sight. What he beheld stilled him to the core. There upon the rise was the finest horse he had ever seen: it was the dark stallion.

The setting sun lit the horse from behind, making the creature look like something from a fairytale. A stiff wind made the creature's wild mane float on the breeze. It was magnificent in size, both in height and in breadth. The horse stood majestically, almost regally, with its head high and eyes thoughtful as it gazed down upon the rider and horse.

Calwel let out a tentative whinny to the new comer. The dark stallion shifted his gaze towards the horse but remained silent. The gaze was brief for within moments the stallion returned his focus towards Logen.

He couldn't believe it, just when he had given up on the venture the damned creature appeared upon its own volition. He was in awe, to say the least, but he finally got a better look. The horse was suffering several wounds, one of them quite shocking. Three splintered shafts from arrows were embedded within its flesh; dried blood caked its hide while congealed blood oozed from the wounds. Another wound appeared upon the steed's neck, a slashing wound, and if his eyes were serving him correctly it appeared to be from a sword. The horse was even sporting a gouge upon its head, right at its center. That wound seemed most severe.

"You poor beast, what has 'appened to you?" Logen asked aloud. It was as if that statement broke the spell for the creature in question began to throw its head and bound away. Logen scrambled upon his horse, desperately not wanting to lose the stallion. Wheeling about, he slammed his heels into Calwel's flanks, urging him onward.

Rising upon the crest of the hill Logen pulled Calwel to an abrupt halt and searched in every direction for the phantom stallion. There! The horse had the audacity to paw at the ground and turn tight circles, as if he were agitated that he was not following close enough. Logen plunged down the hill in hot pursuit.

Ocean neighed aloud and turned towards the woods once he got the human's attention. Dropping his head he easily weaved between the trees of the snow covered forest.

Logen followed cautiously into the forest. What he saw took his breath away; even though the horse was large it maneuvered easily and gracefully through the thicket as if it truly were a phantom. Its footfalls were quiet, belying the sense of weight the creature possessed. It turned this way and that through the trees before coming to a halt, ceasing its dance to look behind it. Seeing the apprehension of the horse and rider the stallion turned and neighed, bobbing his head.

Calwel immediately answered and began stepping forward without prompting from his rider. Compared to the stallion, Calwel's stride was ungainly and clumsy. Logen couldn't help but compare. Again the stallion took off when he saw that Logen was following, and every time Logen would lose the trail the stallion would wait patiently.

The pattern continued until Logen began to catch on, the horse was leading him somewhere. He looked toward the sky above, which was turning darker by the moment. The sun would set soon.

"Where are you takin' me?" Logen asked aloud, tiring of the game. Every time he got too close to the animal he danced away and bolted, only to stop and allow Logen to catch up and repeat the whole process again.

Just when he had had enough and the light was about to all but fade he rode into a small clearing and was violently confronted by the stallion. The creature charged the intruding horse, nipping and biting and kicking. Calwel reared, unseating his rider who was more surprised than anything. Falling hard on his back Logen crawled away from the flailing hooves, rolling to his left until he bumped into something to stop him. Looking up he saw the stallion driving away his mount; Calwel needed little persuasion and turned tail.

"Coward," Muttered Logen, getting to his knees.

The stallion pawed the earth frantically and turned abruptly towards Logen, ears flat, and eyes wild. Mayhap his father was right, he thought as he swallowed. The angered horse began high stepping towards him, making Logen fall back onto his rump, forcing him to back pedal. With his hands he searched behind for anything that could be used to throw at the animal, in case he was in much more serious trouble than he realized. His claymore and bow were conveniently stored on his horse that was nowhere in sight. Perfect!

His hands blindly searched the frigid ground as his fingers became numb but all he felt were twigs and more weeds. Where were the rocks and stones? Perhaps I could throw snowballs at it, Logen mused, still searching when suddenly his hands moved over something warm. He stilled, eyes wide as his hand still roamed, lower than before. Before him the stallion went rigid as a mountain.

By Danu, was the thing behind him _breathing_?

He had to chance it; he glanced behind him and nearly fell flat. There was a girl curled upon herself just lying in the snow!

He turned fully around.

A girl, no a young woman. A highborn lady judging by the remains of her tattered and stained dress. Her skin was sun kissed; her hands by the looks of them were calloused with one tightly fisted. But that was strange; all the nobles Logen had seen in his lifetime were pale with petal soft skin, not a callous allowed. Yet the high quality of the dress seemed to contradict his senses.

Hesitantly he reached out toward the clenched hand and with gentle force pried it open. Resting within the palm was a piece of spiraled pearl, for that was the only way he could describe what he was seeing. At first he thought it some kind of shell but the bit of iridescent pearl was not hollow nor was it brittle. It was solid and looked heavy. Tentatively he reached his fingertips toward it, the moment his skin made contact a wave of emotion and power rushed up his arm.

Startled, he cried out and instantly retracted his hand.

What had just happened? Bewildered he stared at the spiral with a mixture of fear and fascination. It didn't hurt, but it still felt extremely raw and strange.

Ocean carefully treaded closer to the boy, his foot falls heavy and his breath labored, just as much as his lady. His eyes were clouded, his mind fettered. He did not know what had happened, he did not understand why his lady and himself were injured and in the middle of nowhere, but he did understand that it was his duty to protect her.

It took longer than expected to lead the wayward mortal towards his charge.

Logen prodded the young woman but she seemed lost to the conscious world. He turned her from her side and nearly choked, the lady was injured. A slash mark ran across her side. The wound was open, blood crusted around the edges while some still oozed. The skin around the area had hardened, which would make it extremely painful to touch and maneuver the wound for the care involved. He glanced up as the stallion stood over them, head bent low, puffing warm air into the lady's face.

"I should've known you were not free for the takin'." He whispered, but the stallion no longer paid much attention to him. Logen looked about himself, searching for Calwel or anything he could use to help the lady. He looked in the direction of where he had come and let out a whistle.

"So that's why you attacked me, you brute." He frowned.

If he had continued on the path he had used to get into the clearing then he would have inadvertently trampled over the woman. The stallion was fiercely protective. For a moment Logen felt a stab of jealousy towards the lady, the emotion so intense that he stopped all movement. This horse was everything he had dreamt of breeding and training. To own such a fine dress and horse the lady must be important. And what of the strange stone?

He was startled from his musings when the stallion pushed his muzzle into his shoulder.

"If you hadn't chased away Calwel then maybe I could do something more." Logen ground out, pushing the stallion away.

Ocean stared at the mortal not understanding the words coming from his mouth. A sense of panic overcame him as he dimly realized that this was wrong. Before he had no trouble understanding speech, at least that is what he convinced himself. He just didn't know. But he heard the name Calwel, the horse had called himself that. He turned around and began to leave the clearing.

"Wait! Donna go!"

But the creature could not be stopped.

He turned back towards the girl, debating on moving her. He glanced at the stone in her palm again. Inching forward he reached to touch it again but this time nothing happened. He picked it up gingerly and inspected it closer. It was much heavier than it appeared yet it was smooth as glass. The jagged points around the edges suggested that part of it was broken and missing yet when he ran his fingers along the razor's edge it did not pierce his skin. The trinket was mind-boggling. Nothing made sense anymore.

"What have I gotten myself into?" He grunted out as he pocketed the stone.

* * *

Hours later Logen had gotten together a roaring fire in the clearing and managed to patch up the lady as best he could given the limited supplies he possessed. He tried to catch the stallion to treat him as well but the obstinate beast remained allusive. Finally giving up he gathered tinder for the fire and continued to feed it. The lady was warmed by the fire that crackled and snapped as the temperature in the clearing climbed. Throwing his heavy cloak gently over her slender frame he began to pace.

He had to move her but that would be done in the morning. He glanced at the stallion that remained in the shadows. The creature never stopped moving. Always it was circling the clearing, weaving through the shadows, glaring balefully into the thickening darkness of the night. He never strayed far from the light of the fire yet it was unnerving to Logen to see such a proud horse riddled with such nervousness. It made him think twice about wanting it.

He remained lost in thought and did not notice the lady begin to stir and awaken.

Ildrianna felt suddenly warm, so hot that she thought for sure she would suffocate under the now searing heat. Where was she? Her mind was hazy and every time she breathed she felt pain lacing through her ribs. Something constricted the movement of her rib cage and didn't allow her to draw in a full breath, which, she thought, was a good thing since she didn't think she could do so anyway.

Something heavy was over her, with what little strength she had she pushed it aside. Something bright shown in her eyes, the sun? No, it was too dark and the light was low. A fire. That's why she was so hot; she was perched too close.

Scooting away she threw the cloak off her and sat up with a painful effort that made her gasp.

"You awake then?" Came a rolling brogue.

Dria jumped; somehow the thought never occurred to her that someone was here with her. The cloak, the fire, the bandage, none of it registered that someone else had to have done those things.

She turned towards the sound of the voice.

Logen was about to say more when he was suddenly struck dumb. Now that the lady was awake he was stuck by the realization of how beautiful she was. Her sultry mahogany hair fell about her in waves, resting on her shoulders and tumbling down her back that framed a heart shaped face. Eyes the color of the sea stared back at him with lush dark fans of lashes. Her mouth was full and rosy, the lips puckered from confusion that registered so clearly in her sleepy eyes.

Dria remained silent, not knowing what to say or even if she could speak. Where was she? Where was Ocean? Did they make it through the Gap?

"I apologize lass, how are you feeling?" Logen approached the dazed girl and knelt before her. She leaned away from him, eyes distrustful. He kept the distance between them and smiled gently. "I won't hurt you, lass."

Dria stared at the young man before her. She didn't understand what he was saying but his accent was soothing and his deep timber was calming. Never in her life had she heard his language or his way of speech. Surely she must be on the other side of the Gap. She looked above her towards the sky, the stars glistened brightly and a half moon hung in the thick night air but something was missing. Where was the breath of magic of the night?

The man continued to talk to her but she shook her head and finally opened her mouth, "I do not know what you say, kind sir." She spoke with as much gratitude and kindness as possible; she didn't want to sound ungrateful when the man was obviously trying to communicate with her.

Logen pulled away as if she had slapped him. "You're English!" He accused, switching from Gaelic to English.

Dria was also startled by his outburst and she tried to slide away from him but her injuries resisted such movement. How could such a kind looking face turn so angry so quickly? The movement caused her to wince as her wound began to further aggravate her, she thought she would pass out from the pain as her vision blurred violently.

"What do you mean?" She asked, frightened, panting. "I do not know what English is." Her mouth formed the word clumsily.

Logen started at the sound of her voice, it was lyrical and flowing but if she were a wee English wench then he had never before heard such an accent in his life. All the English scum he knew had harsh tilts to their voices, even the ladies didn't sound nearly as eloquent as the woman before him.

"Truly? What are you then?" His voice gentled as he saw her struggled for breath. He wanted to kick himself for riling her up so much.

Dria remained silent.

Logen rubbed a hand through his hair, "I apologize, lass, I didn't mean to upset you. Will you forgive me?"

Dria tentatively smiled at him that lit Logen's face. She was even lovelier when she smiled.

"I'm Logen." He offered, trying to get her to speak more.

Dria nodded her head. "Ildrianna." She was silent for a moment before gesturing around herself. "Did you do all this?" She felt the bind over her ribcage and noticed that the bandage was under her clothing. Her eyes widened as she realized what he might have seen while tending her. She didn't know whether to feel indignant and angry or grateful.

"Aye," Logen nodded, settling closer to the girl, wondering about the frown upon her face. "Found you out here on the moor, I followed a horse but never thought I would come across such a lovely find." He flattered her to remove the frown from her brow, she seemed shuttered from him.

Her brow furrowed further. "Horse? What is a horse?" The word sounded unnatural for her tongue.

Logen blinked. Was the lady daft? He gestured to Calwel who was tied to a nearby branch. "A horse." He still couldn't believe when the stallion returned at his side a perfectly docile Calwel followed.

Dria looked at the animal and nearly cried out in horror. A unicorn was tied to that tree, but it had no horn! What had happened? She couldn't feel anything magical from the creature at all. Once that thought occurred to her she looked around her wildly, searching for Ocean. Where was he? Why was he not with her? He was always with her; she couldn't even feel his presence.

"Ocean!" She called aloud, struggling to get to her feet.

Logen watched her intently; her call of alarm sounded like a panicked bleat from a cornered doe. But when he saw her made to stand he reached out for her and forced her to remain seated.

"Donna move, girl, lest you wish to open and aggravate your wound." He nearly snarled when she made to shove him away. Her plaintive eyes turned towards his own. "If you're wantin' your horse he is just there."

As if summoned Ocean strode purposefully into the clearing and rushed to his lady's side, only to receive a horrified gaze.

"Ocean, what has happened to you?" Her alarm was so great that Logen was forced to take another look at the creature.

Ildrianna nearly wanted to faint at the sight, and she was not one for fainting. She must be dreaming. This must be a nightmare! Her Celestial unicorn, her companion for years, did not just approach her without his horn. That was simply not possible. Where his beautiful horn should have been was a grotesque wound. She was not so alarmed by his other injuries as she was by what he was so obviously lacking.

More alarming than that she could not feel him as before. As a creature of magic she could feel that magic pulsing within him and it was their intimate link that connected their minds and allowed them to communicate without words. But when she reached out to her friend all she heard was silence and with that realization she suddenly felt more lost and alone than ever before.

She shivered as Ocean approached closer; his eyes seemed to be pleading with hers but clouded, as if he were diminished. She reached out a hand to stroke his muzzle and buried her face in his overgrown forelocks.

"What have they done to you?" She whispered, tears falling from her face. She no longer struggled against Logen's hands that were gentler now.

"If it pleases you lady, if you could hold him still I could tend to his injuries." He offered, thinking she wept for the state of her horse.

"Could you?" Came her exhausted reply. She stared into the eyes of her friend, seeing only half of him present. She closed her eyes and stroked his cheek. "Ocean, kneel so Logen may tend to you."

Logen watched amazed as the steed followed her verbal command without any coaxing or gesturing. The stallion curled his forelegs gracefully under his body as he delicately descended to the forest floor. There was something unnatural about this animal and it was taking a moment for Logen to absorb it all. Never before had he seen such a fine and intelligent creature in his life. No horse carried itself in such a manner, not even the noble trained warhorses. Ildrianna had complete control of the horse with little show of dominance, something that was required with such large studs. They often fostered dominant issues yet here there was none.

He knelt before the steed and began examining closely.

"Why are you doing this?" Came a rough voice from the lady at his side.

Logen stopped what he was doing and stared at Ildrianna. "What do you mean?"

"You do not even know me. Why help me?"

"'Tis simple, you are a lady in need and my honor be damned if I donna help." He smiled charmingly at her. When he received a look from the young woman he thought to add, "And my da would never forgive me if I didn't help a damsel in distress and me ma would never feed me again."

At that Ildrianna gave him a bitter sweet smile, the gesture left Logen baffled that his jest was received in such a way. Any attempt to make her truly smile seemed to be thwarted.

"I'm happy you found me." Better to be found by Logen than by Rhalluan. She shivered as she thought of the dark prince's perfect face, the feeling she felt while staring into the eyes of her doom.

* * *

Rhalluan grimaced as he approached the great black gates of the city capital of Acantha. As he passed through the thorny arches he felt his hope disappear with the closing of the behemoths. Vurinada was a kingdom-state that had once been part of Balinor but generations ago a feud had begun. Once the most favored House of the king's court the nobles of Vurinada struck at the king to steal the throne. Mistakes were made on both sides; however, the House gained enough power and following to break away from the kingdom of Balinor and remained independent to this day.

Now Vurinada was back in full force, the self-made king of the House of Vurinadae wanted the throne of Balinor; which was denied to his ancestors so many years ago. King Oorlin allied himself with the Shadow unicorns, making a pact with them much like the royal Balinor bloodlines did with the Celestial unicorns centuries ago. No longer was the right to a prestigious unicorn reserved for royalty.

The bond was viewed as unnatural as it was grotesque. An offering of innocent blood was required for the illicit bond to be forged. Dark magic ran rank upon the countryside as more and more Shadow unicorns revealed themselves from the tween.

The tween was a place between the places. The places were found to be neutral throughout the world and were ruled by wild magic, a different brand of deep magic. This new wild magic was dangerous, unpredictable, and highly volatile. However, with the correct nudge, a tween could be converted to dark magic and a new well of energy was waiting to be used. It was by this unholy change that the Shadow unicorns were able to utilize shadows to their will and how they got their name.

Long ago, all dark unicorns were forbidden upon the mortal plane, just as the Celestial unicorns were made to stay in the Celestial Valley. The dark unicorns dwelt in a place that was aptly named the Dunes of Fire. It was a desert devoid of life and light, a place that was constantly hammered with violent sand storms of black ash and fires. The maelstroms happened sporadically and without warning, often to the bane of the dark unicorns. They were sealed in this hellish purgatory without reprieve of fresh soothing water or luscious green sweet grass. All things pleasing were forever denied to them.

Rhalluan patted his mount's neck and mused to himself. It was no wonder the damned creatures struck a deal with the Vurinada, it was their only chance to escape their imposed prison. He shuddered as he thought of the Dunes.

Any rider who wished to bond with a Shadow unicorn must first past a test: journeying through the world's barrier and surviving their realm. Only when the mortal who wished to be paired understood the pain and agony of their mounts would they be granted the right of a unicorn and even then they could receive a weak creature. A man was judged by what he endured in the Dunes; if he withstood disaster then he would be granted a mighty mount but if he suffered little then he stood the chance to get a nag or worse, receiving no bond-pair at all and dying in the wastelands. When you entered the Dunes you came out with a steed or not at all.

Rhalluan remembered his time spent in the Dunes, memories he rather wished he didn't have. He still woke in the dead of night from the nightmares, finding his sheets soaked through from the sweat of his body and his throat raw from the screams. Harbinger never comforted him or let the memories fade. His mount took sadistic pleasure from his pain, reminding him that he himself had experienced ten times worse than what the mortal had because he had _lived_ there.

Looking at the bustling city Shadow unicorns milled about as commonly as unicorns did in the streets of Balinor. Nothing was out of the ordinary except the lack of fantastic color. Rhalluan began to resent those prismatic colors of the Celestial herd; it reminded him of his bond with his own unicorn, a bond that was unnatural.

He was as damned as the beast beneath him.

_What will you tell the king?_ Harbinger's voice rasped, sending chills down Rhalluan' spine.

He sneered as the crowd who welcomed his return, ruing that his father would not be so eager. "The truth, edited."

His black stallion laughed aloud, a sound that slithered past the ear and made the listener writhe with displeasure. Rhalluan looked away and tried to ignore the sensation. He had been told that with time he would no longer feel such things from his mount; however, the feelings never seemed to deaden with time. He had been bonded with Harbinger for nearly a decade and it was just as intense as on that first day.

_What of your men, will they say the same?_

"They better, if they wish to keep their heads." The dark prince spat as he cast a glare about his company. The men kept their mouths shut, eyes forward.

_Such venom_, Harbinger sniggered, tossing his head about, _It is becoming of the Prince of Darkness. _He chimed smugly. _Especially since you are Despotic._ Saying the word mockingly.

The prince scoffed at the title. A Despotic was the term given to the second strongest bonded pair, in this case it was Rhalluan and Harbinger, the first was usually reserved for the king, called Regnant— ruler over all. The alpha was usually awarded to the king but Rhalluan knew the shameful truth of his father's deepest secret.

"Watch what you say, Harbinger." The prince admonished.

The unicorn snorted in displeasure and danced on his toes, _Should it be said more softly?_ He asked snidely.

"So the rumor spreads faster? I think not." Rhalluan pulled harshly upon the bit to snap his steed back into submission. "Do not forget to whom you speak!" He ground out fiercely, cracking the hard leather reins against the tender flesh of Harbinger's neck.

The black unicorn crow hopped, showing his discontentment at having been publicly reprimanded but his mortal was right, he forgot his place for a moment.

_As long as you do not forget who you ride._ He seethed.

"I never forget." Rhalluan whispered.

Harbinger swiveled a sooty ear towards his master's voice but let the comment slide. Contrary to belief he was extremely pleased with his rider and the opportunity to leave the Dunes and roam the mortal plane was merely an added bonus. To be able to feast and drink to his stomach's content was one of the sweetest perks to his freedom. To be able to serve one of the most powerful humans in all of Vurinada was what his blackened heart dreamed of.

The cobbled streets were littered with people but the King's Path was almost completely free of obstructing bodies. To transgress the King' Path risked injury and death. If the troops needed to maneuver they would not stop for anything. Many people were cut down for merely being within sword reach of the road.

Vurinada was a cruel place; a kingdom founded on the beliefs that what you wanted you must take, by force if necessary. It was aggressive in expansion and the seizing of power. While it grew it made many treaties with their neighbors of Balinor, merely to placate until Vurinada could gain enough power to oppose Balinor herself.

The day finally arrived. A small team infiltrated the courts of Balinor and toppled the hierarchy, forever decimating the Balinor royal bloodlines. Rhalluan led the campaign himself, not trusting peons to do the job correctly. With his very sword he relieved the Balinor king of his post and head, an action that weighed on him heavily. The queen died quickly after her husband, running herself through a sword trying to escape. Their only son lay in a pool of his own blood, the crown prince was dead. The youngest princess would be captured and enslaved, sold to the nobles back home to add insult to injury to the people of Balinor. And as for their eldest daughter, Rhalluan had had plans for her but they were foiled when she managed to escape with the help of the Celestial herd.

Anger boiled just beneath his skin as he reminisced the past events. One princess escaped and it was his fault. He had assumed she would be with her family, he had assumed she would cower in terror before the might of his forces; he had assumed that the mere sight of Shadow unicorns would send the silly girl over the edge. He couldn't have been more wrong. His carefully laid plans had been torn asunder that night, everything seemed to have gone horrible wrong!

His grip upon the reins tightened.

Though it might have been blind instinct driving her actions, princess Ildrianna fought with all she had with her captors and managed to slip through a secret hallway to the stables where she was united with her bond-pair. Once together she led him on a wild goose chase through the surrounding woods, running circles around his minions and made him look completely foolish. The Prince of Darkness was being out performed and outsmarted by a girl six years his junior.

To make matters all the more worse she managed to summon more Celestial unicorns to her aide. Rhalluan found himself smiling as he remembered nearly catching her at the mountain border before she began her ascension to the peak that held the fabled Gap. Her skills at losing pursuers were extraordinary.

A vision of her face suddenly came unbidden to the forefront of his memories. Her dark copper hair flying about her face— whipping about to mingle with the indigo tresses of her unicorn as they executed a perfect flying lead change while switching direction. She had glanced back over her should as his mount's momentum carried himself in the opposite direction. Her face had been calm and composed, if a bit excited; her large luminous sea foam eyes glittered with triumph as she managed to slip through his fingers once more.

That face looked completely different from the one that gazed at him with horror in her eyes as he had struck her with his sword. She looked completely defeated then, spirit almost broken. Rhalluan remembered thinking that it was such a pity, never before had he felt such a rush at having been outwitted; he had been quite bored with the war front, everything was the same. But the sound of her cry of pain rang through his ears as the sight of her blood splashing the snow accosted him with such clarity that his heart lurched in his chest.

As his company neared the castle gates, he came back to the sour reality that was his life. He had to face the king, his father, and anything other than perfection from his son was unacceptable.

_Did you enjoy your recollections?_ Harbinger whispered in his rider's mind.

Rhalluan shuddered at having felt his mount touch his mind. He long ago let go of the fact that the unicorn could hear whatever he was thinking just as easily as he could his steed's.

He said nothing as he dismounted and began to climb the black-marbled stair that led to the king's throne room where his father would be waiting.

* * *

**Author's Note**- as you know Christmas is coming and I promise I will not completely disappear. I am working on the next update but expect it maybe after New Years? Who knows. Hope you enjoyed this installment! I've got wicked plans for this story. Have a merry Christmas. Happy New Year's as well.

Below are some terms I used that I would like to explain— they actually come from a real place, not just something I've made up. Ok here is some Irish mythology 101.

Danu- [Dah-noo] -noun _Irish Mythology-_ the mother of the Tuatha De Danann, identified with the Welsh Don, also called Dana. A Celtic goddess who was the mother of the Tuatha De Danann , also known as the goddess of death. In the context I've used its more akin to saying 'Great Scot!' or 'Oh my God!'.

Tuatha De Danann- [too-uh-huh dey dah-nuhn] –noun _Irish Legend- _a race of gods or demigods who defeated the Fomorians and ruled Ireland during a golden age.

Fomorians- in Irish mythology they were a semi-divine race that were the first to settle Ireland and are akin to nature, think Greek titans, and just like the titans they were overthrown by the Tuatha De Danann.

Logen- origin- Scottish- means low meadow

Acantha- origin- Greek- latinized form of the Greek word meaning thorn or prickle

Claymore- ( _claidheamh mor- _a Scots/ Gaelic word meaning great sword)a two-handed sword with a double edged blade used by Scottish Highlanders

Thanks for reviewing **365 Pages of Awesomeness!  
**

****Please Read & Review! I greatly appreciate your thoughts!

BVR


	3. Ocean's Empathy

**Ocean's Empathy**

* * *

Rhalluan bowed his head and pinched the bridge of his nose, eyes closed tight to block out the image of the gold embossed doors before him. It looked completely gaudy, something that his father commissioned. King Oorlin flaunted his wealth and power, much to the detriment of his image. Many of the common people, war mongers yes, but gold worshipers they were not, found great dissatisfaction with the king.

The room he loathed to enter was the war room; which also happened to be the throne room. The inside was equally as garish as the doors that led to it.

_You are accomplishing nothing by standing here dreading._ Harbinger snorted, stomping a hoof.

"You think I don't know that?" Rhalluan snapped, wanting to slap the unicorn. He took a calming breath and shook his head. I'm developing charming characteristics from my father, he rued. If there was one thing he strove for it was to be nothing like his father.

Harbinger nudged closer towards his rider and blew in his hair. _You are nothing like the king._ He declared.

The prince smiled hollowly, not wanting to be comforted by his mount's words yet finding that he was. He rubbed Harbinger's nose and looked at him thoughtfully.

"Remind me to give you some alfalfa after all of this is said and done."

The black unicorn's ears perked forward. _I will be sure not to forget._ It was his favorite treat, one that he would never pass.

Turning towards the double doors he pushed them open to reveal the long grand oak table where numerous generals sat before the brooding king who was masked in shadow. The doors swung back and were caught by two guards, long spears in hand. All eyes turned toward the interloper who dared to interrupt the war summons.

"And the prodigal son returns," Came a booming voice from the gloom, "Tell me, Rhalluan, why do you return alone?"

The prince gave a mocking bow to the head of the table, earning snide remarks and girdled sniggers from the surrounding generals. The royal lords of Vurinada were equally divided between loyalties towards the king and his son. Rhalluan never hinted to his father that there were fickle agents in his wake.

"I do not return alone, Harbinger is at my side, father, and my unit has returned."

"With fatalities." The voice all but roared.

The room went still.

Harbinger stepped forward towards the table and pinned his ears back but remained silent. The generals quieted at the animal's approach, the steed was known for his violent mood swings. At one moment he can be calm, the next he was a torrent of rage, it much reflected his rider.

"There were fatalities on both sides." Rhalluan remained calm and gave his mount a warning glance.

"Explain." Oorlin leaned forward from his seat, his face cast in half torchlight. It was haggard and riddled with wrinkles around the brow and mouth. When his face was contorted in rage he looked all the more intimidating. His voice was as callous and unyielding as steel and could command any weaken individual or cowards.

The prince sat himself at the other end of the table, his wooden chair nondescript like the ones the generals seated themselves. From his travel worn cloak he produced a crystallized spiraled horn and two shining gems of diamond and emerald. The other generals stiffened at what they saw. Rhalluan was becoming renowned for his ability to slay Celestial unicorns, if they were correct this would be his eighth and ninth kill.

"They belonged to a member of the Green and Orange band. Only one horn survived, the other was lost." He smirked at reliving the memory; it was bitter sweet. The jewels would go to his father but the horn would belong in his hands. He would not change his father's interest in all things that glittered and sparkled. "The little band was led by Valorna herself, I cannot be blamed for what transpired."

"Yet it was your responsibility. Who was it that told me that they would bring back the little bitch and her Indigo to me?" Oorlin growled, striking the ivory armrest of his seat with a balled fist. "You've already fouled up the claiming of the royal family."

"She's crossed the Gap, we cannot reach her, and they cannot reach her. No one is able to cross that tween without consequences. It says so in the legends; to cross the Gap means to sacrifice something dear." He did not need to relive the horrors of that night any more than he had to. He would never forget the look on the Queen's face…

The king laughed and retreated back into the darkness. "Do not tell me you believe such drivel!"

The king did not understand the true nature of the Gap, all he saw was an untapped tween, the most powerful tween to ever be discovered. It was rumored it led to a different world, a world much different than this one. They said no magic thrived there; no unicorns lived there, nothing but chaos and destruction. That was all the legends made clear so there was generally little interest in the fabled crack between worlds. However the celestial herd knew something about the Gap that would not be led on, thus they led the princess there knowing what was on the Other Side. To the king, that was intolerable.

All things he looked upon were his.

"You were not there; you did not feel the Deep magic. Even Valorna shied away from the portal." Rhalluan defended himself. He hated how he always felt five years old in front of his father. He always felt belittled in his presence.

"Valorna, did you bring me her hide?"

"She fled before I could finish her off. All Celestials were gravely wounded during the skirmishes. I, myself, lodged three arrows into Ocean's carcass; another soldier threw his sword at the beast. His horn was damaged. There was no way he would have survived the crossing." Rhalluan spoke vehemently, a hard edge in his voice. He was so close in taking the Indigo prince and stopping the princess!

"So you brought me no princess, no Gold, no Indigo Celestials. What _did_ you bring me, _son_?" Oorlin thrummed his fingers.

The prince paused and had a contest of eyes with his father. "I've brought you these gems and my personal witness that we shall never see the little princess again. We are fortunate to have the younger princess in our possession. The royal line of Balinor is no more; the throne of Balinor is what I offer you. I will win you supreme command over all." He hid his remorse he felt at uttering that statement about Ildrianna as his heart twisted.

The generals watched the little display with keen but silent interest. They dared not contest the words of the prince; every promise he prepared to deliver to the king was fulfilled. Some of the generals shifted uncomfortably.

The king folded his hands neatly in his lap and sat up straight before bellowing the dismissal of his council. The generals quickly dispersed leaving the king and the prince alone, their only witness was Harbinger.

"Do you promise me this or do you offer this only to placate your father?" He asked solemnly.

Rhalluan closed his eyes and gritted his teeth.

"Come closer, son." His father commanded.

Something within Rhalluan cringed at that ginger voice, that candy coated command. He knew what was going to come next and there was nothing that he could do to prevent it. Not even Harbinger could save him. He found himself getting up on two feet and walking towards that belying face that seemed to smile at him. A tremor went up his spine and traveled down his arms to tremble in his nimble fingers that ached to close around the hilt of his sword. All it took was one swift stroke and his father's head would be relieved of its post.

The prince closed his eyes, if only he wasn't the son of a decrepit king.

As he drew abreast of his father's throne the king lashed out violently at his son, striking him in the jaw with his iron gauntlet. Stars burst before Rhalluan's vision, the metallic taste of blood blossomed in his mouth. For a moment all he could hear was the sound of his rapid heartbeat as his gray eyes locked onto the matching eyes of his father.

"You dare disobey me!" Shouted the mad king, striking his son in the face again, this time near his eye socket.

Rhalluan slumped to the floor, expecting the blows but not with such force behind them. Of course this was the first time he had ever failed his father but the prince didn't know his father had that much strength in him. Behind him from across the room Harbinger reared on powerful hindquarters and let out a mighty clarion cry, eyes wild and burning with rage.

Everything happened too fast for Rhalluan's mind to comprehend. One moment he was standing, the next he was curled on the ground and in such physical pain. He simply couldn't understand it. There was so much noise around him, his father, his mount, and the clatter of hooves grinding on granite, the shrieking slide of steel leaving its sheath. But above everything the loudest noise was his heartbeat, on that he had complete focus and it was with that steady drumming he found his mind wandering.

Sometimes he wondered how his life would have been if the past would just change, or just turn out better. Perhaps I am still a child, he mused as he curled deeper into his self. Was it childish to wish for things to be different? Even if they were things that could never be resolved or reconciled? He wished he was different but more than anything he wished he were strong enough to be different. He didn't know how to change and didn't think he had the strength to convert into something better. Not by himself.

An image of the princess flashed across his mind.

Suddenly his wandering perusal of his memory erupted with awful feeling, something inside him withered a bit more at her whimsical face.

Beside him he saw iron hooves smeared a bit with blood dancing on their tips around him, over him, striking the ground in ringing clashes. Distantly he understood that the red smattering was his own. Blood in his mouth and nose made it difficult for him to breath, or was it the kick to his ribcage? Something hot was slashed across his shoulder blades and made it cumbersome to twist out from under the dangerous hooves.

Using his hands and knees Rhalluan crawled from beneath Harbinger's body and away from his father. Throwing a look behind him he saw his unicorn's side was cut open from defending off a wildly swung sword handled poorly by his father. Harbinger continued to maneuver the king away from his rider, biting whenever he could and aggressively striking out his hooves.

Once the Shadow unicorn realized his rider was in relative safety his attacks became that much more violent and powerful, no longer trying to be careful and risk hurting his rider.

The king fell to the ground in a heap and continued to back away, his sword spinning out of his reach. Harbinger scraped his hooves over the granite and began to perform a series lunges on his haunches at the king.

_You dare raise a hand on my rider!_ Came the hollowed furious voice shrieking into Rhalluan's mind.

"Stop—" The price rasped, but was cut short by a fit of coughing. He couldn't draw proper breath.

But nothing could touch Harbinger as he continued to taunt and torment the squealing king. Rearing back to emit a deathblow the Shadow unicorn shrieked in surprise at having been thrown aside by a colliding force. From the shadows lurked the king's mount, waiting for the opportunity to catch the vicious attacker off guard.

Harbinger slid like a deer on ice on the slick granite surface and had quite a time in catching his feet. Once he was balanced he whirled upon the gatecrasher and roared. The sooty unicorn before him trembled yet stood his ground, lowering its head in warning yet also in submission.

Harbinger curled a lip at the pathetic creature and returned to Rhalluan's side. Kneeling on bended knees he spread a darkness that engulfed the pair, leaving the king cowering behind his mount, blood dripping from an injury on his brow. Fear engulfed him when he realized his crown was no longer upon his head. Panicked, he scrambled towards it where it lay placidly on the floor and clutched it close to his chest.

* * *

"What was I supposed to do with her, da? I couldn't just move her! I could hardly get her here betwixt the terrain and her bloody horse causin' a ruckus." Logen seethed as his father continued to berate him for his actions.

"If the lady dies 'twould be on your shoulders. What if her lord and master comes after her only to find the lass dead?" Logen's father was in a fit over the situation. He had been on the wrong end of a nobleman's ire before when he was young and so foolish. He did not want his son to suffer the same.

"Doona you think I ken that? I tried everythin' in my power to keep her safe."

The next morn he had wrapped the girl up in his arms and in his coat and mounted up on Calwel, much to the rogue stallion's displeasure. She had spiked a terrible fever in the night and had remained unconscious ever since. Days had passed and there was little change. His mother was tending her wounds and remained secluded with her new patient. She mended her open wounds with sutures and smeared it with an acrid poultice. It was changed every few hours to avoid further infection. The lady was only awoken to feed and quench her thirst but she was never lucid enough for conversation.

Every few days his mother would leave the lady's side to berate her son for dilly-dallying for so long. Between his mother and father Logen felt pretty low, even his younger sisters who delighted in torturing him with their mischief felt a bit sorry for him and left him be.

His only solace was in his attempts to deal with her horse. He managed to corner it into a stall by luring it with food but the beast remained relentless ever since. The stallion rarely allowed anyone in his stall; it was only when Logen was around the lady did the stallion ever let him close. The scent of his master calmed the beast immensely and allowed Logen to quickly treat his wounds and even run a comb and brush across his ruddy coat. But the beast never let him stay close for very long and Logen was chased out of his stall.

While the lady was under the weather and when Logen wasn't at the end of a brutal chastisement he and his father discussed the lady's horse. Tall, broad chested, and heavily muscled yet at the same time slender and sleek and so full of grace. His father had never before seen such a horse.

"I'm telling you da, that horse is blue." Logen came right out and said it. More time passed and the girl no longer had a fever yet still remained unconscious. His mother had said that she was only resting and that it was better this way. Nearly three weeks in bed and she needed more rest— then again his mam always did know best about such things.

Truth be told the entire family was worried about her awakening and regaining focus. She was a noble woman after all; they tended to be higher strung than anything.

"There is no such thing." His father swore vehemently, shaking his head and not believing.

"Yet there 'tis, a blue horse," Logen quipped, gesturing towards the horse's coat.

"'Tis a blue roan."

Logen scrunched his face. "That is not a roan, it's not gray enough. You ken that."

"Then 'tis a black."

"It's too blue to be black."

"Then it's some sort of roan! It's a blue and black roan, but it's not a blue horse." Artair scratched his wiry beard and blew out a frustrated sigh. He had tried to work with the damn animal but nothing could be done to calm the creature. As of now, the horse was holed up in his stall in the far corner, facing them, glaring balefully with ears back, legs rigid. All signs that he would be displeased if anyone came near. He looked at his son; saw the awed look in his eyes and Artair found himself slightly wistful as well. To have such a fine animal, strange coloring or not, would be a great boon to his business of breeding. Such fine lines and obviously impressive lineage would breed mighty foals.

And it was a blue horse; he had to admit, but never aloud.

"Stop staring like that. It's not yours."

Logen immediately was defensive. "I ken that. You doona need to be tellin' me this, da."

"Just makin' sure, son. He is magnificent." Artair took a few steps closer to the stall, watching the horse throw its head and snort. "Wounds have healed nicely. The one on his head still concerns me."

"The crazy beast won't let me near enough to see it. I've even asked help from the stable lads but they won't come near. They're too afraid." Logen remained distant and the horse remained wary.

"Well we need to get at that wound; I'm surprised it hasn't festered."

Behind him Logen reached a hand in his trouser pocket. Ever since that night he had found the young girl and strange horse he had kept the strange fractured spiral on his person at all times. The piece of pearl sat innocently dormant, having not shocked his hand since that first night. The edges, which looked razor sharp, didn't cut him. But the weight of the strange trinket seemed to change. Some days it was heavier than others. Then other days it seemed to be light as air.

He didn't understand it.

He wanted to ask the lady about it, but then again, what if she knew just as little? Logen was ashamed to admit it but he was loath to part with it. He watched his father leave the stables.

"What did she call you…?" Logen murmured. He crept closer and rubbed the opalescent jewel in his pocket. The horse remained wary but interested, dark eyes watchful. Logen couldn't recall the name; she had only said it once and she said it so strangely in her lilting accent. His mind remained far away as he tried to remember but all the while the little trinket in his pocket began to oscillate and heat with power.

The horse stilled and flared its nostrils, ears forward as he began to take tentative steps towards the stall door. Logen watched the creature watch him, caught off guard by the bold behavior, completely unaware of the shard's reaction. If only he could recall that name!

All around him the world drew quiet, as if it was taking a collective breath and holding it.

Logen stepped closer and suddenly noticed that the shard was becoming red hot to the touch. Panicked he dug it out from his trews with every intention to toss it when he heard the eager knickers of the horse in front of him. At that precise moment the spiraled shard ceased to be smoldering and instead lapsed into frigidness. In his hand he thought he held a piece of ice it was so cold.

The horse stepped closer, almost crowding the wall to his stall in its sudden quest to be close to the human before him. Logen nearly gasped aloud as the creature arched its long neck elegantly over the stall door, head out stretched and reaching for the luminous object in his palm. A sudden look of intelligence unbefitting for a horse and more befitting of a human swept through the creature's eyes as it almost pleaded with Logen to step closer.

_Please help me!_

A chill crawled down Logen's spine and he whirled about to find the source of the voice yet no one was there, there were not even any sounds of the stable lads working or the everyday horse sounds that could be heard in any barn.

_You must save her!_

The voice was faint yet audible and slithered around in Logen's mind, just on the fringes, as if it were a dream. Within his hand the spiraled shard of horn began to take a light of its own, the kind of ethereal incandescent light one saw when gazing at the moon or when light reflected from a pool in broken shapes. It was subtle and hazy and the palest of blues, easily distinguished within the gloom of the barn and the hollowed cloudy days of late winter without sun.

A sudden gust of warm breath flooded his hand and before he had even realized it Logen had crept forward towards the animal and seemed trapped by the celestial light and the unnatural stare. Stretching out his own arm he allowed the horse access and waited.

Gingerly the horse first scented the item, ears forward and alert, eyes focused upon the pearl, then in one swift motion he touched it. The result was staggering as powerful emotion and strength rushed through his arm. It was as if he had been hit by a powerful wave of crashing water. He felt cold yet rejuvenated, frightened yet serene. Sound erupted in a cacophony of tidal crashes and storms. Such raw power!

Then all that feeling swiftly vanished and laid waste to pain, lancing pain, crippling pain that jarred his entire body. He wanted to pull away, he wanted to run, he wanted to drop the pearl into a loch with a sack of stones but the thought utterly disgusted him. It was as if he were destroying the most innocent of creatures, the purest of things. Such blasphemy could not be endured by his hand.

Still he could not let the feelings over take him, he thought he was being devoured and swallowed up by the blinding blue light in his hand and the unnatural eyes of the horse before him. He tried to turn his head, shutter his eye, anything to lessen the force but the more he struggled the louder, brighter, more powerful the feelings became. It seemed a gale force was going to topple him right then and there.

The horse looked upon the young man in front of him with sadness, something Logen could not bear to look at. Such a look seemed inappropriate for a creature of such splendor, but then Logen wasn't one to romanticize much, not even for the horses and the Highlands he loved so dearly but looking upon this creature it inspired something deeper within him yet he felt his heart was breaking as well. He didn't understand it and didn't want to. He dimly remembered a tale from childhood but in the moment he could not recall much of anything he was so consumed.

It was like a fire and he was being burned alive, yet there was no heat, only the crushing weight of arctic temperatures that wrapped so fervently about him. It was so agonizing yet pleasurable, this cold fire, this raw power of strength and pain.

He had to escape.

_Ocean…_ came the soothing voice, that desperate voice. It was almost shouted at him with such force as if he were deaf. Again his skin crawled, the hair on his arms and neck stood on end, it felt as if someone had walked over his grave.

Just as suddenly as the horse touched the pearl he retracted his reach. The spell broken, Logen collapsed to the floor in a cold sweat, heart racing, and breathing ragged and torn as he tried and failed to catch it. The pearl shard rolled from his hand and lay innocently upon the ground, dormant and devoid of light and luster.

The Scot's head swiveled to and fro, wondering if his bizarre experience had been witnessed by anyone. All he saw were rows of horse stalls with every occupant looking at him, the object on the floor, and the stallion who was looking curiously down at him.

Logen was at a loss for words as he stared up at the creature in front of him. The beast still looked at him with above human intelligence, pleading, curious, even remorseful.

"Did ye just speak to me?" He asked lamely, his brogue thickening. The silence of the world remained unbroken and Logen felt awful for trying to break it, like he had just committed a great sin and like those damned Christian monks he wished to fall on bended knee and recite line after line of prayer to repent for his wrongs.

The stallion looked at him meaningfully, Logen swore the creature rolled his eyes at him, but he couldn't be sure. This had to be a dream. He pinched himself to make sure.

Aye, 'twas no mere dream, 'twas real.

The stallion neighed impatiently at the human, bobbing its head. The horses around him began to neigh along as well until they were one solid chorus. Logen looked about himself in bewilderment. All the horses were whinnying and tossing their heads, mimicking the great stallion before him. When the stallion stopped, they stopped.

"By Dagda, if this 'tis reality then I've strayed into a dream." He whispered, watching the stallion watching him. He rose on unsteady feet. His limps felt like jelly, unstable as a newborn foal's.

_Ocean._

The word breezed across his mind and made Logen shiver. It was the name that girl had called him and somehow he could hear it perfectly within his mind. He recalled her saying the name; however, the voice in his head did not come from a young maiden nor did it come from his own voice, but the voice of another. That thought chilled him to the core.

"Ocean…" Logen tried it out but found his tongue tripped over the enunciation. The 'o' was dragged out in an 'ahh' sound while the back half of the name was a quick and fleeting 'see-an'.

Tentatively, Logen reached out a palm toward the stallion and was happily surprised when the horse actually moved into his touch. A small wave of power flushed through him, they finally connected but it was weak and minimal compared to what happened earlier.

"Ocean…" he whispered aloud again, stroking the creature's velvet nose, furtively touching the open wound upon the creature's head. There was a large bump; swelling of puss and ooze from the injury, dry flaking blood crusted around the edges, but the wound itself seemed remarkably closed for having received no treatment.

As he touched the wound he felt a great loss, as if someone near and dear to him was suddenly erased from the face of the earth, the grief that gripped him at seeing the wound, touching the creature like this for the first time, plus the previous events crashed through him once more and as he silently grieved all over again he was astonished to find tears running down his cheeks. The look upon Ocean's face reflected his own and when the horse closed its eyes he swore he saw them moisture as well.

* * *

Rhalluan walked the streets of Acantha, his pace quick and filled with purpose, his stare challenging and menacing. A nasty bruise collected around the side of his face, engulfing his right eye but gravity was doing its work. The once purple and blue bruise was now a nauseating green and yellow that creeped ever so slowly down his face. His lip was busted open and swelled a bit, it still hurt to open his jaw all the way. He figured there was something wrong with the joint; it creaked every time he opened his mouth to eat. His ribs were splashed with bruises but it was his back that was fancying a new scar. A slash of tight tissue wadded between his two shoulder blades, a mark for his incompetence, his father had told him.

He had it healed by sacrificing a celestial horn, it was said it contained restorative healing properties, when willingly given, which is why the wound closed and healed itself partially and not perfectly; he would carry the scar with him the rest of his life for what Celestial unicorn in their right mind would willingly help him?

The dark prince couldn't name a single one.

At his side Harbinger walked steadily, throwing glares and generally being unpleasant to anyone. It was early and the Shadow unicorn hated to be disturbed early in the morn. He showed his displeasure at other people rather than the object of his displeasure since it was far easier; passer-bys never fought back. And, the Shadow unicorn reasoned, now was not the time to pick a fight with the prince, even if it was a playful banter.

The prince still was nursing a wounded pride, grateful yet ashamed that his mount came to his rescue, hating and fearing his father who still held such power over him. Harbinger could never understand the dynamics of that relationship, the king held some sort of power over the prince.

_Where, pray tell, are we going? And why couldn't it wait?_ Harbinger finally ground out, snorting and nipping at a young boy who strayed too close, smirking as the little urchin yelped and scampered away.

"We're going to see Ajax of Govad, or have you forgotten?" Rhalluan spat icily.

Harbinger nearly stopped in his tracks but managed to overcome the lapse.

_We have never visited the Mourner in the light of day before, why do so now?_

"Because father watches me more closely at night."

Harbinger snorted and wanted to roll his eyes. Ever since they had returned the king had become more paranoid. It was right that he should, the dark unicorn preened, his rider would soon replace him on the throne and all of Vurinada would be at their feet. But as of yet the king's erratic behavior was becoming cumbersome.

_And you think you can get away with this in the day?_

"Any soldier brazen enough to confront me at this very moment shall be relieved of their lives." Rhalluan bit out. He was in no mood for the overly cautious steed.

Harbinger flattened his ears. _You should be resting in bed, not gallivanting across the countryside. Govad is a few days away if we keep walking, climb on my back._

"No— your pain is my pain, I will not open your wound. You require bed rest, not I."

It was in these moments that Harbinger wished his rider wouldn't suddenly care for his wellbeing, though the sentiment was appreciated. Through their connection Rhalluan was funneling much of his mount's pain into his own body. It was the only reason Harbinger could keep pace to the prince's stride.

_Then perhaps I should take your advice and leave you to make this journey on your own two legs._ Harbinger teased.

The prince stopped dead in his tracks and turned towards his companion, eyes wide and ablaze. The unicorn stopped as well and the crowd around them parted and lowed, bent and curved around them leaving a bubble of perfect space for them untouched. The sudden look of loss flashed before the prince's face before hardening into an unreadable mask of stoicism. Harbinger saw and felt it all, even though the prince tried hard to keep his reactions to himself but their bond never allowed for such a thing.

"I go where ever you go." He spoke quietly aloud and in his mind, which made Rhalluan relax a bit. He turned without saying a word and continued his way to the out gates of the city.

_How many more do you need_? Harbinger asked after a moment's silence. He felt the pure energy emanating from within the folds of Rhalluan's clothing and naturally recoiled, he was darkness, the horn concealed there was made of light, and it would always be so.

"More, much more, but it looks promising. Father is sending me out into the battlefield soon where I am sure to find more stock." The words were so cold, so mundane that one could not even tell they were speaking of murder and desecration for that truly was the only thing it could be called.

Collecting the horns of the fallen Celestial unicorns was an obsession of Rhalluan's ever since he came across Ajax in Govad, a small village that the cavalry just happened to pass though on their way back from a mission to Balinor. There Rhalluan found something that made even the Shadow unicorn shiver.

Ajax was a small town blacksmith, not famous for his ordinary works, but then again, the truly extraordinary people never really are— Ajax was known for his experiments with refining metals and materials that he mixed in with his work. He had once come across some ancient scrolls which he deciphered and began forging magical weapons of great power, whether they were useful powers or not. He forged a blade that could summon water, arrows that could burst into flame when shot; shields that made sounds of thunder, even daggers that could slice through anything, boulders notwithstanding.

The old fool claimed to have forged all the great weapons of power from the old days, the glorified era, when heroes were about as common as flies on a hot summer day. Of course the prince didn't discredit him; there was something ancient in his ways, something otherworldly in his eyes.

"I can forge you a blade that would make all your enemies tremble in fear, a blade that could slay any force in this world." Ajax croaked, his leathery hands writhing and gnarled with arthritis and old age. His limbs were thin and wiry and seemed unable to wield a hammer, let alone forge a blade but when his iron claws wrapped around his forearm and pulled him back when Rhalluan had turned to leave the crazy imbecile behind something dawned upon the prince that this was no ordinary man. And thus he commissioned such a sword.

"I can forge you the finest of blades from the purest of irons; however, you will have to collect the rest of the materials I need." Ajax coughed and spat the words out, shuffling back into his forge, grabbing tongs and a hammer.

"What sort of materials do you require, old man?" Rhalluan asked hotly.

"I will need the horns of both Celestial and Shadow unicorns to meld with the blade, only then will you have the sword you seek."

The words haunted him even now. It was a great sin to separate a unicorn from their horn, the first time he succeeded such sorrow and shame passed over him he thought he might die; surely the gods would reach down and snuff the life from him then and there. But it never happened. So again and again the Prince of Darkness continued to slay Celestial unicorns and collected their horns, delivering them to Ajax and the sinister deed became less and less sinister. The dark horns were collected from fallen Shadow unicorns or by killing them himself, those proved plentiful. It was collecting the Celestial horns that proved difficult.

He was so close to his goal, just a few more, Ajax had said, just a few more and your blade will begin to take shape.

The prince checked his side many times that day to remind him that the horn was still there, had not broken, and had not gotten lost along the way. He rued the thought of having lost the second horn; in hindsight it was a wasteful thing to do. All he wanted was to get a reaction out of the little band, and he obtained it, at the price of delaying his goals. Even if he had collected the shards they would have become useless. As of now all the horns he had collected were sitting in a covered basket on top of a shelf in Ajax's quarters collecting dust. A broken horn was useless, mending it took time, finding all the pieces and crafting it back together was a lost art form. Worst of all he needed the magic of the horns to stay within the conduits.

Broken horns seeped magic like a busted irrigation canal, sooner or later the magic would cease and the horn would be useless, it was dead. Once a horn died there was no reviving it, even if it was reunited with its owner. Unless a shattered horn was completely fixed within a certain time frame it would dissolve into dust. The more a fragment was disturbed the more magic that escaped. Anyone who knew anything about unicorns and their horns would know that.

* * *

Word Meanings!

Dagda- Celtic word meaning 'good God', essentially

Artair- Gaelic word meaning 'bear'

Govad- Persian word meaning 'wind'

Ajax- a Greek name deriving from another form that means 'mourner'

I would like to thank 365 Pages of Awesomeness for reviewing my last two chapters, essentially I am writing for you- I'm so glad you enjoy it, hope you liked this new chapter.

Hope everyone had a safe Christmas and New Years!

Please Read & Review!

BVR


	4. Into The Dreaming

**Into The Dreaming**

* * *

Another week passed before Ildrianna was well enough to leave the confines of her bed. Logen's mother, Nessa, refused all requests of ventures to the outside, not matter how creative the excuse. Nessa reminded Dria of her own mother and she was acutely aware of her loss. Between pleading with the unyielding woman and trying to sneak out of bed Dria was almost always crying.

Since she had awoken and became aware of her surroundings Dria was consumed by grief. Was this to be her destiny? Was it written in the stars that she was to lose her family, lose her kingdom, and lose her way of life? She lost her kingdom, her throne, and her entire family. It did not make any sense to her, why was she allowed to live when everyone she loved was dead?

"Such loss, it takes time to heal." Ocean had told her when they had been on the run.

Sitting within the smothering blankets of her straw-stuffed bed with little to no interaction with the stern woman Nessa, Dria felt raw and exposed. The physical pain was nothing compared to the emotional pain, unaware of the subtle change it was turning towards. Her pain seemed to be a living thing that writhed within her in ways she did not understand, Dria had never experienced such complete loss before this moment in her life. Time to heal...

She didn't have time, she felt as if there was some kind of urgency driving her. She needed to see Ocean; she had to see him.

"Only a short jaunt, 'tis all I am allowin' for ye, my lady." Nessa gently scolded at her as she got on unsteady legs. The barely closed wound that wrapped around her side was still tender to the touch but remained whole as she took a tentative step.

"Please call me Dria. Why are my legs so weak?" The young woman exclaimed, clutching onto to Nessa for dear life.

"'Tis atrophy, dear. Ye spent too much time in bed, what did your lady expect?" Nessa never seemed to understand Ildrianna's desire for her to call her by her name and not in such a formal way- it wasn't part of her life any more as far as Dria was concerned.

Nessa guided Dria out of her tiny room and into the den where Artair and Logen and her two daughters sat before the fire. Night had fallen and the winter cold kept all occupants indoors next to the hearth for warmth. One of her daughters was reading, curled up in a stuffed chair while the other was wrestling with a knot in her thread. Artair was sitting near the fire with a bit of smoke coming from his pipe. Logen sat near him, just staring.

When Nessa and Dria entered the room Logen vaulted to his feet, much to Artair's amusement.

"You're up!" Logen was suddenly over excited.

Dria smiled hesitantly. She barely remembered Logen; she had met him a day earlier when she was allowed a walk-about with Nessa as her guide. They had run into each other while Nessa prepared some tea in the kitchen. He continued to apologize to her for not getting her to his mother sooner. Apparently he had explained to everyone that she was a 'wee English', what ever that meant, and that she only spoke English. Ildrianna didn't know she spoke English, but in all appearances she was.

"Canna keep the lady in her bed any longer." Nessa chided, sitting Dria near the fire, fussing over her a bit. Dria tried to shoo her away without being impolite, she was a guest after all and this family didn't have to help her.

"Is there anything you need, lady?" Logen asked, hovering near.

Ildrianna gave him a pointed smile before saying; "I would like to see Ocean, if that would be alright."

Logen paled, knowing that she would ask that. He looked to his mother and father for help.

"That request can be granted, lady, but not at this moment. The snow drifts are too thick, wait until the morn to see your horse." Artair spoke softly, puffing on his pipe, nodding to Dria.

Ildrianna had about given up on getting any of these nice people to call her by name. She felt isolated in the formal title they bestowed upon her, isolated because of her station and their constant and acute hints that they never forgot it.

Logen watched as the young lady looked towards the window, hearing the howling of the driving wind outside, feeling the frigid air out of reach from the merry fire. He expected her to pout, to demand to see her animal come hell or high water, to throw some sort of tantrum. It's what every other noble person he had had the pleasure of meeting had done when something didn't go his or her way. Yet she surprised him by simply nodding herself, a regal gesture as she held her composure. Sitting there, dressed in peasant's clothing, she still reminded Logen of a highborn lady in every regard.

Her speech, though odd was fluid and learned and carried within it a bittersweet melody, no doubt put there by her recent trials. Her story had yet to be revealed, much to Logen's impatience. His mother insisted that the lady speak when she was willing and able. At the moment he suddenly understood, her very aura was saturated with sorrow and pain. It was there in her eyes, in the pucker of her lip, the crease in her brow and the strain of her posture. And even though she radiated misery the lady looked very noble born all the while.

Artair looked at his wife who merely smiled demurely.

"Then I will wait until morning." Ildrianna said more to herself than to the audience around her.

Small talk had been made after that, even though Dria was restless her exercise tired her weakened body swiftly. Just the simple task of sitting up straight and not slouching her back was taxing. After staying up with the family for a few hours Dria retired back to her room. The family watched her go, Logen's mother helped the princess to her bed chamber and tucked her away for the night before returning to the hearth and retrieving her sewing.

"The poor dear." She sighed, resuming work on mending a shirt. "Sheena, lass, that knot is n'er going to be worked out tonight. Try something else." Nessa spoke quietly to her daughter, Sheena, who had been trying to untangle a wad of thread.

"Aye, mam."

Artair took a drag from his pipe and looked at his wife expectantly. He didn't need to ask the question she knew that was on his lips, Nessa already knew. His wife, stout and robust around the hips and chest, was the kind of woman who knew exactly what a man was thinking without even trying. She knew what was on a man's mind, more importantly what was on her dear husband's which more often than not confounded the man to no end. However it also was a bit of a blessing, Artair never had to ask the awkward or painful questions, Nessa always just answered. It was this kind of communication that he relied upon now and what kept his wife united with her husband when raising a bunch of rowdy children.

"She will be fine, of course. Her wounds have all but healed completely. The bonny lass will have quite a scar to carry." Nessa spoke while she threaded a coarse thread through the eye of her needle with expert ease.

Artair nodded, leaning back in his seat, gazing up at the mantle. Above the roaring fire were a series of paintings that were painted of his family from generations back. A couple of Nessa's family portraits were added to the wall. The most recent was a painting of himself and his wife each mounted on horses. He was not a traditional man, he wanted a woman who could stand beside him on equal grounds, a rare quality in a man she had told him when they had first married. Nessa was a strong woman, both in body and in spirit; nothing could be denied her yet she asked for very little. How he adored the woman, the only woman able to stand her ground against him when his temper raged.

"But then again, there is somethin' about the girl that seems broken." Nessa continued, performing a very practiced and neat running stitch. "That lass has been through somethin' terrible, somethin' she's not quite willin' to face."

"What do you think happened, mam?" Sheena asked, looking up from her new project of rolling up some cotton string into a skein.

"I donna know." Nessa answered, and then looked up at Logen. "Did the lady say anythin' to ye, boy?"

Logen shook his head. "She didn't say anything of use, except for the concern for her horse." His brow furrowed as he remembered her confusion of the term horse. "Hey da, I don't think she knew what a horse was, or at least had the same word or it."

Artair glanced at his son. "What say you?"

"The first time she saw Calwel she looked fashed. I canna explain it, da. It was as if she had never seen a one!" Logen scratched his head and began to pace, agitated that he had so little interaction with the girl while she was awake- every effort made to speak with her was met with resistance, recalling their very first meeting. "She said there was something wrong with her horse, that somethin' had happened to it."

"'Tis strange." His father replied.

Logen blinked. That was it? That's all he had to say on the matter?

"Maybe the lass was a bit addled in the head, she did have quite a fever." His mother supplied, giving her son a heated stare.

Logen wanted to moan; his mother still hadn't forgiven him for not bringing the lady to her sooner.

"Perhaps." He admitted. Logen sighed, reaching for the familiar weight of the spiraled pearl in his pocket. Since that moment in the stall Ocean had been exceedingly hostile towards him. How the horse could go to pleading to wrathful was beyond him. If Logen wasn't paying attention and strayed too close to the beast's stall the stallion made every opportunity to bite and nip him. He still had a bruise to attest to the horse's accuracy.

"Oh, Artty, I found this with the lady's meager possessions." Nessa fished in her own pocket and withdrew a bauble wrapped in a handkerchief and passed it to her husband.

Artair unwrapped the item and nearly dropped it when he discovered what it was. The pipe slipped from his mouth as he gasped, a string of curses escaping his mouth in a rush of Gaelic.

"What is it da?" Logen asked, Sheena bounced from her seat to look; even Rosslyn closed her book at the sudden excitement and took an interest in the goings on around her.

Perched within Artair's fingertips was a jewel the size of a man's fist that glittered and sparkled with radiance from the hearth's fire. All eyes were fixated upon the precious stone, all captured by it's luster, all except Nessa of course. When privately attending to the lady she had stumbled upon it in a secret pocket when she tried to salvage the tattered dress. She had gawked and gaped at the jewel just as her family was doing now, but they didn't need to know that. If there was one thing in the world Nessa prided herself on it was her sensibility and practicality. Neither of which defined the gemstone.

Nessa allowed them to stare for a moment; it was only fair to let them see something that was once in a lifetime because it would take that and then some to earn anything close to that. Mind that it was only allowed for a moment for she cleared her throat to gain her family's attention.

"Quite a find, isn't it so?" She chuckled.

"It's a sapphire!" Rosslyn gasped, wanting nothing more than to caress the gem but knowing better.

"Look at it, it's pure colbalt!" Sheena swooned; she had seen precious gems like this in the Inverness market square but never one so large.

"I donna think it 'tis a mere sapphire." Artair finally spoke, finding words at long last.

Logen was transfixed, his hand firmly around the pearl that trembled with sudden power, it lanced painfully up his arm as it reacted to the precious stone. What was happening? What connection wove the girl, the horse, the stone, and the pearl? He didn't know, a part of him was a little thrilled at the prospect. His life, though normal and described as uneventful, seemed a bit dull to Logen. His brothers were out in the world while he remained here in his microcosm of a world, it was all he really knew, that and horses. Soon his sisters would be married off into other clans and it would be just himself and his ma and da, not counting the other servants who helped to work the family business.

He agreed with his father, it was no mere sapphire.

"If my eyes are not spelled into some sort of twisted dream I would say that is a diamond." Artair muttered, examining the gem by twisting it back and forth.

"I thought diamonds were only white." Rosslyn protested.

"Aye, but they can be other colors as well. I myself have seen a pink and yellow diamond before. This one carries the same twinkle." Artair glanced at his daughter.

The family stared at the diamond a while more.

"It belongs to the lady. What she is doing with a diamond is beyond me. 'Tis likely the reason why the poor thing is in such a state." Nessa finished off the shirt and tied off the thread, then severed it with her teeth. She held up the shirt to admire her handy work.

"Why do you have it, Nessie?" Her husband asked.

Nessa folded the worn shirt and tossed it in the wash pile for later and picked up another torn article, this one a pair of trews. "I thought merely to show you, love."

Artair snorted and wrapped the jewel back in its cloth and handed it to Logen, "Give that back to your mother, boy." Logen grasped the priceless trinket as if it would shatter; either it or he would, surely. The power pulsing within the pearl was excruciating to undergo, he found himself panting from the experience. He quickly gave his mother back the lady's prize and moved away. His mother gave him a quizzical look but said nothing, just merely observed. It was what she always did when she saw a problem- she would wait and gather more clues and create a hunch before asking what was wrong.

His mother was usually right on her hunches, woman's intuition. In those ways Logen feared his sisters, they were becoming more intuitive as they came of age.

"The time is late, 'tis time for bed." Artair declared, reaching to retrieve his pipe from the floor. Tapping out the tobacco he placed the aged object on the hearth before turning towards his daughters. "That means you, my bonny lasses."

With a bit of groaning they moved from their seats and prepared for bed, Artair following behind them to make sure they went to their bedchamber. Nessa remained to finish the last hole in the trews, watching her son from the corner of her eye all the while. He was acting too strangely and she hadn't noticed it until tonight. He looked strained yet at the same time on edge and ripe with energy. Her dark eyes narrowed when she saw him reach into his trew pocket. Come to think of it, he had been doing that a lot as of late.

Nessa needed further reflection upon the matter. The hole was sewn up good and tight, with a click of her teeth the thread was cut and another piece of clothing needed to be washed.

"Time for bed, love."

"Aye, ma."

* * *

Logen couldn't sleep, he tossed and turned but sleep eluded all his efforts. By the time he finally arose from bed his sheets were twisted and damp with sweat.

"Bloody hell!" He swore, leaping from his bed he stomped around his bedchamber. "What is wrong with me?" Was he going out of his mind? Where the gods testing him? Was he failing? All he knew was that he had to escape his quarters. Dressed in nothing but a pair of trews he threw on a shirt and set out for the den.

The fire smoldered within the hearth, angry red coals wavered in the intense heat that weakened with every passing moment. Logen sighed and threw more logs into the flames and settled back onto the stone floor. The combination of the icy cold ground with the blazing heat of the fire calmed him. He breathed in heavily, trying to calm his racing heart. If that didn't work maybe his thoughts would simmer down.

No such luck- on either account.

It was as though he had just run from the loch and back, his limbs exhausted but his mind still whirling with activity. It was beginning to give him a head ache. He felt as though he was charge, like the clouds when a storm came, lightning crackled and sizzled all around him. He couldn't sit still for long, Logen was urged to his feet an began pacing.

This had never happened to him before, never had he been forced from his bed by his restlessness. Maybe it was the winter cold that kept him indoors most of the days when normally he would be out in the heather all day. How he wished spring would come to the highlands. The sweet memory couldn't keep him comforted like it had in the past, the rolling hills of sweet grasses were not calling him like they did, instead he felt more compelled to visualize the loch. It had never drawn much attention to him before, why now?

Logen threaded his fingers through his hair.

"What is wrong with me?" He gritted through clenched teeth. He didn't feel like himself. Logen felt the sudden need to kick something but refrained, worrying he might wake his family. He continued pacing on the cold stone floor when he suddenly heard a door creaking open. He stopped to listen to the sound, it stopped and he turned to discover it was the lady who was awake, her disheveled hair a mess atop her head as she poke it outside.

"Forgive me, my lady, I did not mean to wake you." Logen immediately felt awful for disturbing her rest.

She shook her head, "I was already awake." Her voice was harsh to the ears, constricted by emotion.

They stared at one another for a moment. Logen was at a loss of what to say to the highborn and Ildrianna didn't wish to disturb him.

"Is there anythin' I can get you, my lady?" He ventured.

Dria shook her head, "No." Her voice cracked.

Logen was immediately alarmed. "What is wrong, lady?" He began to venture closer, embarrassed that he was in nothing but his night clothes, wishing they were better.

"Nothing is wrong." Dria retreated a bit behind her door, affectively halting Logen's approach.

"Forgive me, lady, if I overstep my boundaries, but I donna believe you."

Dria rested her head against the door, half in and half out her room. She was so conflicted. She wanted more than anything to speak to someone, anyone who would listen. Since ocean was out of reach she felt so scared and alone. She looked at Logen, feeling tears glide down her cheeks. He was only a few steps away and his face was clouded with concern. Did she dare speak with him?

"I do not wish to bother you." She responded sullenly, her voice cracking again. She wished she could remained composed, her years of etiquette was screaming at her to remain composed. She pursed her lips to keep from breaking down and crying.

Logen's heart went out to her at her words. Before him was a shattering porcelain doll, cheeks wet with tears, eyes watering from holding back tears, pain oozing from every poor of her being.

"Please, by all means, bother me if it will be of service to you." Logen stepped closer, reaching out to the distraught girl who looked at him with hesitation. "My lady." He added, forgetting his manners for a moment.

Dria laughed a bit, a chocked wrangled sound as a little sob escaped her lips. "You do not have to address me as such."

"What would you like to be called?" He remembered their first encounter, her name, though odd, was beautiful, though he did not in his life entertain the idea that she would allow him to speak it freely.

"My name is Ildrianna but I prefer to be called Dria." She smiled a bit.

"Dria." He tried it out, the name easier for his tongue to pronounce. He smiled when she nodded. "Come sit with me?" He gestured back to the hearth. She nodded, trying again to smother a sob and followed him to the light of the fire.

They settled next to each other before the hearth both in silence. Logen waited patiently for her to speak, watching her attentively. Her immediate presence calmed his grating nerves and allowed him to sit quietly with her without much fidgeting. Dria sat in relative silence, sniffling every one in a while to keep the tears at bay.

Logen watched her for a moment more before he couldn't stand it any longer. He swiftly pulled the lady into his arms in a tight embrace. Dria let out a yelp, startled, but when she felt Logen's strong arms around her something within her crumbled, she stilled and whimpered and broke down into heavy sobs when she felt him begin to stroke her hair.

And that is how it was.

A commoner cradling a highborn who lay sobbing in his arms, shattering as he tried to hold her together. He saw in her his sisters crying and Logen could never stand to watch his wee sisters cry. He couldn't stand any woman to cry. He held her closer, trying to soothe away the tremors within her body, caring for nothing else but to see her smile again. Tears did not suit her.

They sat together like that for a good hour before Dria finally calmed, all the tear wrung from her body for this night. She pushed gently on his chest to loosen his grip and he reluctantly let her go. She wiped her eyes with her sleeve and said brokenly, "You're shirt is all wet."

Logen glanced at his shoulder which sported a large spot of dampness, the place she used as her tissue. He gave her a sympathetic smile, "If that's the price to pay to help your lady then I shall gladly pay the tithe."

She nodded, "Dria."

He nodded. "Dria." Logen could just picture his mother scowling at him for not addressing her properly.

They remained silent together. He watched as she fidgeting with her night gown. The gown was a long full sleeved cotton dress, very plain and quite frankly unattractive. However the way Dria carried herself in it, even though she was mournful, she somehow made the gown appealing.

"Will you speak of your troubles lass, or do you wish to speak of other things?" He asked softly.

Dria glanced up at him and wiped another tear from her cheek. Sh curled her knees to her chest and placed her hands upon them and gave him a quizzical stare. She didn't grasp the meaning of 'lass', nothing in her mind correlated with the word. But she let it go, too tired and sore to think on such trivial things.

"Why are you so sad?"

She looked away. "I am sad because I fear I can not go home, for if I do I shall meet the same fate as my mother and father." She hung her head at the flood of violent memories.

"What happened to them?" Logen asked carefully, fearing the worst.

Dria just looked at him and her eyes became glassy with new found tears.

"Och, lass, I'm sorry." He immediately whispered, grasping her hand in his and giving it a squeeze.

"It's not your fault. I just wish I knew why I was the only one to get away." A sob ripped through Dria's words and she stopped to catch her breath and to keep her weakening composure.

"Donna be thinkin' such things, Dria." He went on, trying to comfort her but not really knowing how. He didn't know her entire story, he was surprised she told him this much.

"If I hadn't have gone out riding that morning, I would probably be dead. And at times I wish I was. There is nothing left. They've taken everything." She buried her head in her arms and knees, curling her toes at the thought of her kingdom under control by those Vurinadan wretches. Her hands balled into fists as she thought hateful things about them, starting with what she would do to their prince if she ever saw him again.

Suddenly her head snapped up and her breath caught in her throat. She put her hands to her face, "Oh, how can I think such awful things?!" She whispered to herself.

"If you hadna been out riding that morn I wouldna have the honor of saving a noble and her stalwart steed." Logen supplied gently. "Although my ma would thinking different on such things." His mouth quirked into a smile.

Dria laughed, really laughed, and it caught her by surprise. She quickly covered her mouth so as not to be too loud. Logen's smile broadened.

"Yes, your mother more than adequately expressed her feelings on that subject." Dria couldn't stifle a giggle as Logen's smile disappeared and he hung his head.

"She will never let it go!" He wailed, playfully, delighted that the sorrowful girl was brightening. It seemed to him that she wanted to get away from her troubles, and he would allow that, he would let her enjoy the moment.

"No, I think not." Dria agreed. She pulled at her night gown, getting rid of some wrinkles around the hem. "But your mother is very sweet. You and your family didn't have to take me in, I do not know how I can ever repay you." Dria thought of her kingdom, when her people did deeds for the royal family they would be rewarded with various items. Some wanted riches, others wanted problems solved, others wanted nothing in return, yet they always got something. She looked around herself. What could this family want?

"I dinna save you for some reward, neither did my ma. We did it because 'tis the right thing to do." Logen assured her.

Dria shook her head. "It is improper if you do not receive something in return." She said forcefully, her training kicking in and her voice took on her mother's tone, the royal tone, she never thought she would ever sound like her mother. "But I don't see how it can be done." She slouched, defeated. "I cannot go back home."

Logen watched her as she became somber once again, at times he forgot that she was a noblewoman and when she at first spoke he was taken aback. Who ever she was before her life was turned up-side-down she had been a woman of authority, judging by her voice.

"Where is your home?" He found himself asking.

Dria looked at him. She was not from this world, how was she going to explain? Where would she start?

"My home is Balinor, that is my kingdom."

Logen blinked, never in his life had he heard of such a country. "Is it near England?" He probed. It had to be, it was her language after all. Although Logen was not as learned as he ought to be he knew his immediate geography and his father took many pains in teaching him English. It was the only conclusion his mind could come up with.

Dria's brow wrinkled. "Eng Land?" Was there a country with such a name?

Logen shook his head- "No, England." He pronounced for her again.

The woman shook her head. Clearly she had never heard of it before, Logen mused.

"No, my country is next to Vurinada."

Now it was Logen's turn to wrinkle his brow. Vurinada? Nothing came to mind except where in the bloody hell was Vurinada? And Balinor for that matter? He scratched his head. Dria just smiled at him in understanding, which made no sense to him either. What was going on?

"Do you know where you are?" He blurted.

Dria shook her head. "I'm on the Other Side." She whispered.

The other side? Logen was beginning to have an inkling, but it was so far in the back of his mind that his consciousness didn't acknowledge it at all.

"You're in Scotland, lass."

Eng Land, Scot Land. Was everything to be some sort of land? Dria nodded that she understood. "I have never been, nor have I heard of such places."

That Logen found was unacceptable. England, as far as England was concerned, was the center of the world, controlling the British Isles as affectively as their other holds, which included Scotland, the ever volatile land searching for its freedom. And to not have heard of it? England was in everyone's business.

"I've never heard of Balinor before," He told her.

The woman nodded. "I would be surprised if you had."

They remained silent for a while, Dria staring at the dancing fires that slowly withered and Logen's mind was racing again. None of this made sense. He would ask his da if he knew of such countries. He decided to let it go for now.

"Are all the horses of your country like yours?" If there was one thing he knew it was horses, and never before had he seen a horse as magnificent as hers.

Dria openly frowned and even gave Logen a heated stare. "He is not this horse you think him as. I did not know that such places even had creatures as these! It makes me think something terrible has happened here." She found herself saying before she could stop herself.

"What do you mean?" Logen asked, taken aback.

Dria turned to him. "Has your... horse... Calwel always been hornless?" She stumbled over the word.

"Hornless?" He echoed.

"Are all such creatures hornless?"

Logen stared at her as if she were a bit out of her mind. "Horses have always been hornless, they are not like cattle." To even compare a horse to a cow was insulting.

Dria shook her head. She knew what cattle were, why did he think she thought those things were cows? "Cattle have horns, unicorns have _a_ horn." She said to him.

Logen was shocked into silence. Unicorns? The lady was talking about _unicorns!_ Had she lost her mind? She thought the horses were hornless unicorns? He said as much to her and her face twisted in righteous anger.

"But of course, what else could they be, the poor beasts." She lamented. "I didn't even hear them speak!"

Logen burst into laughter, he just couldn't help him self. First unicorns, now talking horses. She truly must be daft.

"Do you laugh at me, _sir_?" She asked, using her most caustic tone yet.

"Forgive me lady, but you must be addled in the brain."

"Why would I expect a commoner to believe me, when you clearly do not!" Dria found herself saying. She couldn't believe how rude Logen was acting.

Logen immediately sobered, "It was a commoner who saved your life." He countered.

"I never asked to be saved!" She bit back.

"Then maybe I should have left you in the snow!" He growled, staring her straight in the eye. He would not be cowed by a noblewoman.

"Maybe you should have," She looked away as she felt sudden emotion over take her. Would the tears never end? She felt so pathetic and suddenly even more alone now that Logen didn't believe her. But what did she expect? There were hornless unicorns all around her, hers included.

Logen allowed her to remain silent. How dare she? He had been nothing but helpful towards her, he and his family. He had spoken the truth when he said it had been the right thing to do, but that didn't mean he had to enjoy it. He was about to say something smart towards her when she suddenly sighed, a sound that carried on it all the weight of the world, and she turned back to him.

"I apologize for my behavior. I'm acting ungrateful. Please forgive me."

The biting words that were on the tip of his tongue died quite suddenly and he wanted to kick himself. He had been acting like a child and what did he want to do? Kick her again with callous words like any child would. But she was a noble and she rose above it. By Danu, he should be better than that!

Before he could say anything more she continued. "I am just angry because something was stolen from me."

Logen stilled. The weight of the spiraled pearl suddenly tripled in his pocket. Did she know? He suddenly felt very ashamed as he relived the moment of plucking the trinket out of her hand.

"What-" He began but she interrupted him.

"Oh it was returned," She reached within her night gown to a hidden pocket and pulled out a rounded object wrapped in a handkerchief. Logen immediately recognized the object and immediately thought of his mother, she wasn't as sneaky as she liked to believe. "But the fact that it was missing frightened me immensely."

She unwrapped the gem he knew was inside. The way she held it in her hands made him wonder. It was as though at any moment it might break and shatter in her hands. It sparkled brilliantly in the weak light and threw spots of blue light across her face and the room around her. Somehow the blue suited her, as if she were made to embrace blue and Logen suddenly thought of Ocean. The inkling in his brain began to gain strength but still was elusive to his waking mind.

"If I had lost this, everything would be truly lost." She whispered more to herself than to Logen. She stroked the jewel and kissed it, tears welling in her eyes. Poor Ocean! It was why she needed to see him, she needed to heal him, she feared he would become a dumb horse, unable to speak and unable to shine in his true beauty and power. She couldn't stand it if he were mute like Calwel. The thought sickened her.

"Did it belong to your mother?" He asked tentatively. Maybe the jewel was more than just a gem, a keep sake. Maybe it was a memory.

Dria shook her head. "It belongs to Ocean."

That took Logen back a bit. The gemstone belonged to Ocean? He was a horse, what did he need a jewel for? He didn't ask, somehow knowing it was a sore subject.

She suddenly straightened. "It's why I need to see him as soon as possible." She said with conviction.

Logen nodded. It was all she had left in her world, he could understand her wanting to see her animal. "You will, as soon as the snows break and as soon as my ma thinks you well enough to venture outside."

Dria nodded, the weather did need to be better, she could allow that. She was injured and weakened, a cold could be her undoing. It could delay her longer, or worse. She felt her wrapped wound and pressed upon it gently. It hurt, but only if she moved too broadly or too fast. Other than that she felt she was well enough.

"I will not be denied seeing Ocean for long." She told him, giving him her most royal stare possible. She watched Logen squirm under it and knew he got the message. She looked at the jewel in her hand and quickly re-wrapped it. "Why was this taken?"

Logen shrugged, a bit embarrassed. "My ma just thought it prudent to show my da, he immediately wanted it to be put back. My ma likes to unsettle my da, 'tis all. She dinna mean any harm by it." He explained.

Dria nodded.

"I'm sorry." He added, hoping she understood.

Ildrianna smiled at Logen. "I know, Logen." She said softly.

A shiver went down Logen's spine as she said his name. It was the first time she had said it since he had first found her out in the highlands.

"Thank you."

Logen looked at her. "For what?" He asked hesitantly.

"For not leaving me out in the snow. For allowing me to stay here. For being kind to me. For letting me cry." Dria explained, suddenly exhausted again.

Logen didn't know what to say. "You're welcome, my lady."

Dria smiled at him and placed a hand on his arm. "Please, Dria." She got to her feet. "I'm going to bed now." She walked off towards her room and didn't look back. Logen sat frozen on the spot. When she had touched him the pearl in his pocket seemed to resonate and he felt so calm under the fleeting feeling. He knew that it was all connected but how? He just didn't know. He thought that their limited time together tonight could have shed some light on everything. Instead Dria only supplied more intrigue to the mystery.

"Good night." He heard her say.

"Good night." He said back, getting to his feet and fiddled with the fire, spreading the embers around to weaken it more. Once the fire was little more than a flickering flame he allowed himself to return to his bed, dreading that he would meet the same problem he had earlier. But after crawling in between the sheets he found that sleep claimed him swiftly an with it came the dreaming.

When the rays of the sun finally broke across the horizon Logen found himself more willing to listen and believe in the lady's words.

* * *

This chapter has been edited.

Mam- an endearing form for mother

Sheena- variant of Sine, Gaelic form of Jane: God is precious

Rosslyn- feminine form of Ross, from the peninsula, a Scottish surname and place

Fashed- same as confused, worried, or distressed

So it had been a while, I apologize. An unforeseen occurrence happened and I was irked out of my mind. It took a while to get my computer fixed but I managed. Thank you for your patience 365 Pages of Awsomeness.

I had said in my profile that I wouldn't update this weekend but I just couldn't stay away from my keyboard since I had this chapter half finished anyways and I thought I owed it to the readers to just get it done. So I think this is a longest chapter yet, as an added bonus for the wait.

365 Pages of Awomeness- I address this to you! Would you like to have some illustrations for each chapter? I've been debating whether or not to. Think I should?


	5. Fractured Hope

**Fractured Hope**

* * *

The sun was borne unto a chariot made of clouds which slowly evaporated as the radiant star crept higher and higher, no longer needing the support of the whirling mists. The golden rays glazed the land in rose and tangerine, awakening the smallest inhabitants first. Insects began buzzing with sudden bursts of energy, relying upon the sun to warm their blood just like the lizards and snakes which slowly crawled on rocky surfaces, waiting for the stone to heat their bodies. Flowers bloomed to welcome the sun, the most eager of all the sun worshipers.

Birds twittered within the foliage of the trees, perched in branches or cozy within nests made of dried grass and straw. Their young were peeping loudly, demanding their morning's breakfast. Mothers and fathers burst into the air looking for prey, the early bird does get the worm. And with these tiny creatures stirred to life other larger forest life awoke to greet the day. The scent of maple and willow, ash and oak, pine and birch alike filled the air with the fresh scent of spring, the season was young just as the inhabitants. Red deer roamed the forest in small herds, grazing on fresh spring grass and budding ferns.

A doe and her fawn drifted apart from the herd, completely preoccupied with perusing the tender foliage. Deer, often known as skittish creatures, kept together for there was strength in numbers and as he gazed upon them he felt the urge to pull his bow string taunt and take aim. But there was no weapon in his hands, no quiver upon his back, so he was forced to watch the herd passively. He looked around him at the trees which towered above him, limbs reaching higher and higher to catch the sun, competing fiercely to obtain a patch of sky. And all though a silent battle waged, sun still invaded the buzzing forest, lancing down upon the forest in a dynamic angle. It cut across his face, blinding his eyes in the vibrant glory. Forced to look away the forest floor was carpeted in springy grass, curling ferns, crawling vines and velvet soft moss.

Everything around him was swarming with life and vitality. He watched as the doe nuzzled her fawn affectionately with her muzzle who nursed hungrily at her side. The scene was peaceful and he felt a sudden shame for wanting to shatter the world with a careless twang of a bow and the deadly point of an arrow.

The air was quiet but suddenly all the deer lifted their heads, still as statues, ears wide, nostrils flared, eyes focused on the forest around them, sifting through the trees for any signs of danger. The buck turned his head sharply and stared straight into his eyes with such intelligent intensity that he took a few steps back. The buck's head jerked back, ears swiveling forward yet he suddenly relaxed, as if the danger had passed, the deer let out a low bellow in his direction. The other does of the herd focused their attention in his direction. All watching what he couldn't see, couldn't hear.

A few more moments of relative silence passed before her heard it, the light foot falls. It was a sound that was eerily familiar yet something he was sure he had never heard before in all the years of his life. He turned around and tried to follow the line of sight of the deer behind him, tried to glimpse to understand what they knew.

Something flashed in the distance, a glimmer of color so vibrant he thought it wasn't real. But the drumming he felt within the forest was whimsical. The rays of light obscured a clear view of the creatures moving within the trees but they drew closer still. He glanced behind him at the deer, they watched on but remained relaxed and unperturbed. It was that alone that he knew the event yet to happen was in no way dangerous. Deer were creatures of flight, they never stuck around when things weren't in their favor.

They were closer now, drums so light yet so numerous, it made no sense. The sound was something he had heard only on the fringes of a dream, never in the waking world. And suddenly the creatures veered and came into the sheltering shadow of the forest and were visible so any who saw to see, and just as suddenly his breath left him in a great escape of air, weak at the knees his legs folded easily under his weight. Sinking to the forest floor he felt as if someone had struck him, for what he was witnessing couldn't be happening, not in this lifetime.

Before him was a glory only told within legends and myths, dreams and fantasies. Before him was a glory of unicorns!

They whispered through the forest like ghosts, only they could not be compared to such spirits, for what was greater than witnessing a unicorn gliding effortlessly through a forest? A whole glory of them.

With heads held high, manes and tails treading behind them in a silken mass of beauty, legs constantly moving to carry their bodies forward, they wove through the forest, the envy and awe of all the forest that dwelt within. But it was their horns that had him transfixed- they spiraled from their heads proudly, catching the light and fracturing it around them, reducing it to rainbows. Other horns captured the light and held it prisoner, making the ethereal glow shine brighter and brighter. And still others glittered spectacularly. And their coats came in all colors under the sun, reds, violets, golds, blues and greens. Every facet of every spectrum, and even colors for which he had no name. Yet as he took in all their splendor he knew that they were different, that in terms of unicorns they were not as grand as himself- that was what his senses were telling him.

As quickly as they came they left, disappearing into the wood, the forest suddenly brighter and livelier than ever before. The deer watched on in silence before returning to their ruminating.

Trembling upon the forest floor his breath started coming back into his lungs but his limbs remained drained. Was this just a dream? It felt so real. Never before had he seen a unicorn, let alone an entire herd of them, a glory of unicorns. These creatures were beautiful, pure and simple.

He looked about himself as if to reassure that what had just transpired had really happened. But as he looked around he suddenly discovered he wasn't alone. Standing next to him was Dria but not the woman he remembered. Beside him stood a beautiful girl, radiant and happy with no traces of sorrow or pain. She was dressed in nothing that was out of the extraordinary, a loose fitted white cotton shirt with a brown leather vest and tight trews. Though dressed simply her aura beamed authority. He knew that she was powerful. She turned to him and smiled.

"Beautiful, aren't they?" Her voice, the same melodious tone as he remembered, was even more dramatic unfettered by misery.

As he felt himself turn to her voice to answer Logen's eyes snapped open and witnessed the first rays of sunshine of the new day. He bolted upright in his bed and looked around him. Where was the forest? The deer? Dria?

He launched himself out of bed, pulling on his clothes and bursting from his bedchamber and raced to Dria's. Listening to the door he heard nothing within. His body thrummed with excitement and he couldn't wait for her to awaken. Not this morn.

He knocked softly upon the wooden door and waited.

And waited.

Perhaps it was too soft.

He tried again. This time more forcefully.

Again there was no answer. She was still asleep. He hung his head and leaned against the door and almost fell to his face when the door swung open. Logen caught himself just before falling to his knees, not too gracefully nor too silently. Lifting his head swiftly upon the bed he opened his mouth ready to spit out hundreds of apologies to the sole occupant only to find the room utterly empty.

Confusion. Shock. Worry. All slammed into him with quick succession. He turned quickly upon his heel and began searching the rest of his home but found nothing. He returned to the den and looked upon the door leading out to the barns. Outside was clear and crisp yet bitterly cold. He found that a pair of boots and a coat was missing and easily deduced where she might have gone.

Dressing himself appropriately for the outdoor he quickly followed.

The outside was searingly bright, freshly dropped snow acting as a giant mirror reflecting the sun's rays, weak as they were. He covered his eyes and ran as fast as he could. Between falling into deep pockets of snow and slipping on slush he made little of worthy progress. When he finally made it to the barn Logen was becoming irritable.

Passing within the barn many horses poked their heads out and whinnied impatiently at him, wanting to be fed or turn loose from their stalls. They clamored against their stall doors in such a rowdy fashion that Logen became worried.

Ever since Ocean had been stalled within the barn the horses' behavior had changed dramatically. They no longer struck at their stall walls, wishing to be free. They no longer gnawed upon the wood to get attention. They no longer tried to nip him when he was too slow to move or feed them. They behaved as if they were good through and through. Now they quickly reverted back to their naughty and haughty selves.

That worried him.

He jogged to Ocean's stall and found it empty.

A breath he had not known he held suddenly came out in a great whoosh of air, the pit of his stomach plummeting. He gripped the door helplessly, staring blankly into the empty gloom as if somehow the image would right itself before his very eyes. Logen shook his head.

"Dria?" He called around the barn.

No answer.

He left the barn, much to the horses' discontent, and checked the holding pen. Nothing. Then he checked the paddocks, a few horses wrapped in sheep's wool but no Dria and no giant stallion companion.

"Dria!" He called again with a bit more urgency.

He whirled about and stopped dead in his tracks. His cursory glance at the snow covered ground had made him miss the deep tread marks leading away from the manor and the barn. He followed them a bit, his breath accelerating rapidly with smoky white puffs of air. Logen came upon a large dent in the snow and stopped. Before the tracks were a set, one of horse and one of woman. Now they morphed into just horse tracks. She must have mounted for a morning ride.

But a woman alone? Especially a still wounded woman. The man in him wanted to protect her fiercely, even if it had only been a dream he wanted to protect that radiant woman whom he had seen, and to do that Dria needed to be within site with a smile upon her face.

Logen took a deep breath. No Dria. And that meant no smile either. He followed the tracks for a bit more and saw that they continued. He turned back to the barn determined to find her, sure that she was in some kind of trouble. Logen wanted to die from the thoughts of what his mother would think upon the situation. He could just imagine.

Returning to the barn he found the tack room and looked upon the stock. None of the saddles were missing. She was riding bareback then. He hefted a saddle and went to Calwel's stall. The chestnut gave him a baleful stare at seeing a saddle and not a bucket filled with grain. Not the morning he had pictured for himself.

"I know, I know, but we've got to find them." He murmured when the steed stirred restlessly against his hands. Logen had to find them.

* * *

After her time spent with Logen Dria had returned to her bedchamber and slept fitfully for a few hours. After much tossing and turning she dressed herself and decided to venture outside since the storm had stopped. Grabbing a coat and some blankets she ventured outside. The moon shone brilliantly within the clear crisp night sky. It glittered with twinkling stars. She watched the night sky for a moment, entranced.

It reminded her of Balinor. The moon was large and shone with soft silver light that caressed th snowy land below. The black stretch of night looked like velvet, tiny pinpricks of stars glittered like diamonds. The night was eerily silents except for the occasional snorts and whinnies from the horses.

Dria found her way easily within the darkness, guided by the light of the moon. She entered the barn with a little caution and poked her head into various stalls, not knowing where Ocean was kept.

"Ocean." She called out softly.

At the sound of his lady's voice Ocean surged to his feet and stuck his head out the stall door and whinnied.

"Ocean!" Dria exclaimed, running instantly to his side. "Oh Ocean! I'm so sorry! I would have come sooner but my injury wouldn't allow it. Then the weather turned against me." Dria threw her arms around Ocean's neck, her fingers twisting into his mane. She breathed in heavily and instantly calmed. Ocean always carried the scent of fresh rain with a twinge of salty sweetness, just like an ocean breeze.

Ocean nuzzled her fondly and curved himself around her as much as possible, letting out a low whinny in response.

"I've missed you so much! I didn't know what to do with out you." She went on, tears coming to her eyes. She was so relieved to be near him that she wanted to cry. It was such a huge weight lifted from her shoulders. A bit of the crushing weight shifted a bit in her chest.

She leaned away, "Ocean, talk to me!"

Ocean looked down at her sadly and remained silent, just pushed his nose into her hands.

Dria looked up at Ocean and froze. "Oh, I had forgotten." She reached up tentatively and touched his forehead. Brushing away his forelock it revealed the wound where his horn ought to have been if it weren't missing.

"So it wasn't a dream..." Dria bowed her head.

Ocean nuzzled her neck affectionately. Dria looked up at him with determination. "I will fix this, Ocean. I won't let you down. I already have a part of you with me!" Dria stepped back and reached into her pocket and pulled out the blue diamond, it sparkled weakly in the light.

Ocean's ears perked forward and he reached out towards the jewel. At his touch the gem began to pule and shine with a forceful luster. Magic pulsed within the air and the diamond began to heat within Dria's hands. She smiled weakly at him an pulled away. It was the hardest thing she had ever done, taking away his jewel but it had to be. She needed to keep as much magic within the gemstone as possible so it could remain alive. So that Ocean could become a unicorn once again. Dria had heard of stories of unicorns who lost their horns, but always managed to get them back so long as their horn and jewel didn't die from being drained of magic.

She would never let something as terrible as that happen to Ocean, her beloved friend and constant companion.

The young woman opened the stall door and stepped inside. Ocean moved aside to let her in and watched her drag in some blankets. He moved beside her and settled down into the straw. Dria sank beside him, wrapping the blankets around herself while leaning into Ocean for support. Twisting her fingers within his mane she began to hum a Balinor lullaby. All creatures within the barn stilled to listen to the soothing tune.

They stayed like that for a while when Dria drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Before dawn they both awoke and set out on the trails. Dria was determined to find Ocean's horn if it was the last thing she would do in her life. To think that he was now considered a _horse_ by other people! She couldn't stand for it. She might as well call a cow a unicorn, it also had a horn. Walking beside Ocean's shoulder they ventured out into the snow outside the barn. The other horses watched them depart, neighing in protest. Dria ignored them.

Once outside Ocean sank to his knees to allow the young woman to jump on his back. As he stood she kept her balance perfectly as if she had been born riding. Using her knees to grip his sides she urged him on with a tap of her heels. Ocean took off in a burst of speed and for a moment both unicorn and rider were united as one as they flew across the snow covered ground in effortless strides.

Snow drifts broke as Ocean plowed through, never slowing his pace and indeed seemed impervious to the sinking snow. Puffs of white breath left his nostrils as he breathed deep with clean crisp air of the fading winter.

Dria clutched his indigo mane tightly as she threw her head back, her dark hair whipping behind her in a torrent of movement. She couldn't help herself, she felt so right upon Ocean's back, feeling his powerful muscles bunching and stretching underneath her as he ran, she laughed outright for all the sleeping world to hear.

Ocean sped onward, heading up a steed hill and plunging down the other side, weaving in and out of trees as they came closer to a shrouded wood. The ground leveled out and he let loose a mighty clarion call at hearing his lady's laugher. He leaped into the sky reaching for the very stars that were beginning to be outshone by the first tentative rays of the sun. Soon the waking world would join them but for now, the night and the world, belonged to Ocean and his lady. He felt Dria's grip upon his mane loosen as she used only her legs to grip his body. She flung her arms up and back and felt the wind pass through her.

Ocean forged ahead, keeping close to the trees, rising upon another hill, vaulting over fallen limbs. All of this his queen took easily. She was a master rider and his pride overflowed and threated to burst from his breast. He would do anything to protect her, just as she would do anything to keep him safe.

He began to slow to a lope, a steady rhythmic pace that was easy to sit bareback. Dria wrapped her hands within his mane again and patted his neck, rubbing lovingly.

"I've missed this." She whispered to him.

Ocean nodded his head vigorously in agreement, slowing down to a mellow trot. She leaned forward on his back and wrapped her arms around his neck. Ocean nickered softly and dove into the trees, expertly weaving about the wooded path.

Dria leaned back and allowed him to lead, he would remember where they had come into this world, she barely remembered her time in the forest with Logen as her knight in peasant's armor. She smiled fondly as she thought of him, he and his entire family was very kind.

Suddenly Ocean stopped, pulling her out of her thoughts and she looked around.

"Is this the place?"

Ocean nodded. Dria became sad, would she ever hear Ocean's timber voice again? She quickly dismounted and looked around. The site didn't look familiar at all and everything was covered in snow. As the light began to strengthen she peered into the thinning darkness. Where was she to start?

"I guess I'll start digging..." She murmured to herself. She took a few steps and dove into a pile of snow with her hands. She instantly felt the lancing cold but she chose to ignore it. Anything to right the wrong that happened to her friend.

As time went by she hit icy dirt, unyielding and unforgiving so she moved on to a new spot and repeated the process. An hour went by and the sun has just appeared over the horizon, allowing her to see more fully. Her hands were red and stiff from the snow, but they were numb which allowed Dria to continue. Her clothes were soaked from melting snow that left her shivering. She glanced over her shoulder at Ocean. He was pitching in to help, treading carefully and using a hoof to delicately pick through the ice and snow.

Dria had about given up, her hands becoming to painful to bare when her fingertips brushed against something searing hot. She yelped and fell to her rump in surprise. Ocean immediately lifted his head and pranced to her side, ears pinned back and looking for danger. She glanced up at him and laughed, rubbing his knee to reassure him. She crawled to her knees and began probing the snow carefully with numb fingers. When she brushed against the fire this time she didn't shrink away. Digging around the area she revealed a piece of Ocean's horn and held it reverently in her palm as it shivered with power and warmth, this time its heat gentle and nonthreatening.

What should have been a moment of triumph turned into a moment of shocked misery.

Dria looked upon the fragment with a bit of horror while Ocean just stared, expecting more but receiving nothing.

"No...?!"

How could this have happened? Ocean's horn had split into fragments! How many were there? Could she find them all? What if they were small and minuscule? How was she to piece them back together? If she did find them all, how could she make Ocean whole again? There was no magic in this world, she could feel that in the marrow of her bones. How would she be able to fix a magical artifact without magic? Surely somewhere in Balinor she could find such a way. But she did not know how to return to her homeland.

She did not know where the Gap was in this world. She had heard in the legends that the fabled Gap moved and never stayed in the same place for long. It was deep magic that controlled the portal and deep magic was wild and had unforeseen consequences when misused.

A deep hopelessness gripped her as she stared at the the fragmented horn. It was heavily hemorrhaging magic. She closed her eyes and concentrated her mind, calming it and voiding it of thought and just felt. Dria breathed deeply and covered the fragmented horn with both hands and dug for the magic she possessed within herself. Feeling that faint power residing within her and brushed up against the barrier.

Her brow creased in frustration- it was something that she always had trouble with. Her magic mentor always tried to get her to practice the magic she had within herself but she never paid much attention. She had Ocean, with him beside her she could all the magic she ever desired by using him as a medium and relying on his power and not her own. Thus she never developed her magical prowess.

Her teacher then postulated the preposterous idea that she could be separated from her magical steed which would leave 'her majesty' without magic.

Dria had been greatly offended at the very idea. How could she ever be separated from Ocean? Who could ever do such a thing?

Now that a similar situation has befallen her she lamented the fact that she could not harness the power born within herself as a royal of Balinor, blessed with the gift of a Celestial unicorn. She had acted like a child, petulant on having to learn a seemingly useless skill, not realizing that her mentor was only trying to prepare herself for the future. A future that as a princess she was unwilling to face.

Ildrianna, as a princess, didn't want to be next in line to seize the crown. It was too much responsibility for one person to rule a country. As a queen she would have to marry to make her title legitimate, a king at her side who was more of a figure head and little more. Her royal duties would be solely on her shoulders. She didn't think she could live with the pressures. But when her little brother was born she felt a crashing relief. He would be named crowned prince and she would fade to the back ground.

She didn't have that luxury anymore. Dria winced at the memory of seeing her parents slaughtered and her younger sibling being attacked.

Focus!

She calmed her mind again and nudged at the power within her again, trying to tear away the shield to gain access to the magic. She pushed and felt a surge of power within her.

Opening her eyes she focused that power at the shard within her hands and whispered, her voice laced with the tremors of magic- "_By the light and strength within me, I,-_" She faltered a bit before finishing, "_Queen Ildrianna, seal the power within this horn until called upon in its own time._"

A flash of piercing light illuminated the clearing, blinding the young queen. All around her the ground trembled and the forest stilled at her power, pulsing with the magic that emanated from her being. And just as it started it stopped just as abruptly.

Dria hesitantly opened her hands and stared at the fractured horn. It was no longer leaking magic, yet she could still sense that it was magical. Her posture wilted and she struggled to regain breath. Ocean pushed his nose into her shoulder and blew warm breath into her neck, comforting her.

"I'm alright." She told him, wrapping cold fingers around the invaluable object and hugging it to her chest. She rued the fact that her body could not handle such a simple spell. She had no endurance for using magic.

Getting upon shaking legs she tucked the shard into her pocket. She flared her senses, tapping within herself once more and strained. She felt herself weakening rapidly and let the power within her go.

"I cannot feel anything else." She panted, leaning upon Ocean for support. And that fact worried her. She examined the rest of the site and was about to call it quits when she suddenly froze.

To the far side of the small clearing was a deep carving of ruts in the snow. How had she missed them before? She stared. It was the shadows, the sudden shadows the new sun had thrown onto the place. She crept closer and saw that there were footprints that accompanied the ruts. Dria was suddenly slammed with a terrible thought.

What if who ever had been here earlier had taken a shard thinking it nothing more than a pretty bauble?

"No, no, no!" She nearly screamed. Just when she thought she would be given a generous boon from the fates they attacked her with two more terrible problems: first Ocean's horn was broken into several pieces, second it was entirely possible that someone had picked up a shard or more and carried it off to who knows where.

The sudden urge to follow the trail sent her surging to Ocean's side but she froze. She couldn't be so impulsive. She didn't know this world and she didn't know who would be on the other end of the trail. What if she was getting into something far bigger than she could handle? She squeezed her eyes tight, so conflicted and hurt and angry that she didn't know whether to cry or scream.

Trembling she hugged Ocean tightly. He blew softly into her hair and remained still.

"I promise that I will fix this. I won't let you down." Dria sobbed into his thick mane.

* * *

They crested the last hill and descended upon their temporary haven in silence, just taking comfort in being with each other. The morning ride had been fruitful yet also a startling wake up call. The situation was dire indeed. Ocean's horn needed to be pieced together as soon as possible. If not pieced together they needed to be sealed so they would no longer leak magic and die.

They returned to the barn to find Logen awaiting them within, a saddle sitting placidly by his feet, a look of tremendous relief etching his features before it suddenly turned foul with anger.

"Just where have you been?" He asked, his brogue thickening with each syllable as he tried to squelch how afraid for her he had been for her well being. And he could barely contain how relieved he felt at seeing her safe. Yet he couldn't help being angry with her about the entire situation. He had been about to rescue her but she waltzed back all on her own safe and sound.

Dria motioned for Ocean to stop, surprised to see Logen. She couldn't understand his question, his words slurring to Gaelic.

"Pardon?"

For some reason the fact that she answered him in such a polite and proper way, irked him even more.

"I wake up to find your bedchamber empty. No horse. No woman to be seen. Not a wee speck of you 'round the manor. Betwix the treacherous weather and the less than noble lowlanders, any number of things could have happened to you." He went on, his h's becoming swallowed in his thickening brogue. He took a few menacing strides towards the girl who had worried him to death but stopped in his tracks when Ocean pinned his ears back and began showing his teeth in an aggressive manner.

Dria didn't know what to say. She hadn't planned on going out into the woods. She hadn't planned on being out so long. And she certainly hadn't planned on being caught out and about when she knew Logen's mother Nessa wouldn't appreciate it.

She dismounted from Ocean's back and gave him a look to stop his rude behavior.

"So you were worried about me."

Logen jerked at the statement. He thought about it and sighed with a huge gust of air.

"Aye, lass. I was worried about you."

Ildrianna smiled at him and rushed to his side and gave him a tight hug. It was purely on impulse and it shocked Logen at first, not expecting such an action from the lady. But after a moment he returned it as ardently as she hugged him.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you worry so." She told him as she released him.

"I only worried for your safety, Dria. 'Tis not safe for a lady as bonny as you to wander around alone." He told her.

Dria's brow furrowed. "I think I know what lass means, but what is bonny?"

Logen stared at her. He had to remember that even though they could speak the same language it didn't mean that they always understood each other.

"Pretty." He supplied dumbly.

Dria's sea foam eyes widened before she suddenly laughed, making Logen smile with her. "How can you call me such a word? I do not feel bonny at all." Her face flushed at his compliment.

Logen shifted on his feet. "I speak only truth, my lady." He bowed to her in an exaggerated manner. He straightened and looked down at her seriously, "Where did you go?"

Dria looked at him for a moment, remembering his reaction at her mentioning unicorns. What would she tell him?

"I returned to the spot where Ocean and I... were found." Her hand suddenly went to her pocket, making sure for the hundredth time that it still remained safely tucked inside.

Logen saw the movement. "What were you looking for?"

"Something that I had before my injury but have since lost. I've found part of it." She told him.

Logen immediately thought of the shard in his pocket, thinking that was what she had been talking about, but she had already found it. He watched as Ocean nudged Dria's shoulder and pushed her closer to Logen's side. She protested his odd behavior when he suddenly nudged her side, specifically the one where the horn lay.

Dria's eyes widened as she looked upon her unicorn. Did Ocean want her to show Logen what they had found? She looked at Logen and noticed that his hand was in his pocket and she suddenly became suspicious.

"Would you like to see it?" She asked suddenly.

"What?"

"What I found-" Dria fished into her pocket and pulled out the shard. Logen gasped as Dria produced another spiraled pearl within her hands.

Ildrianna watched him closely. His hand suddenly fisted within his pocket.

"What is it?" He asked.

"You wouldn't believe me even if I told you."

Logen looked up at her. "Try me."

"You laughed just yesterday."

"But that was yesterday." He shot back.

Dria huffed before plunging onward. "It's a piece of acorna."

He stared at her blankly.

"Acorna is the material that the horn of a unicorn is called. This is a piece of Ocean's horn." Dria said seriously, daring Logen to say anything negative.

Logen remained silent as he stared at the object. It was the same as the one in his pocket. He suddenly looked at Ocean, the steed was standing placidly next to his rider and staring at him with eyes far more intelligent than they seemed, eyes filled with wisdom. He saw the scar upon the stallion's forehead. It was near the middle and circular, as if a horn really had been there and had been brutally ripped away. He again looked at the spiraled acorna, the same translucent pearl that he had seen in his dream. It caught the light and fractured it, separating the white light into a prism.

"I believe you." He told her just as seriously.

Dria openly gaped. "Why?"She sputtered, "You thought it quite funny just last night. What has changed?"

Logen reached within his pocket and took out his piece of the fractured horn and showed it to Dria. "Because last night I had a dream of a forest that was filled with unicorns."

Dria gasped as she beheld a second piece of Ocean's horn. She quickly plucked it from Logen's fingers and began to turn both pieces around until she suddenly could fit the two pieces together. They fit perfectly. Logen watched transfixed as the horn suddenly began to look like a unicorn's horn.

What Dria had found was the base. Logen had the next segment. Together it made up a good portion of Ocean's horn. Unbeknownst to Logen Dria was physically jolted by a zap of magic when the two shards touched. Logen's piece was heavily leaking magic and it reacted violently with its brother shard, who was now safely dormant. She instantly separated the two pieces and pocketed the safe one.

"Where did you find this?" She asked vehemently.

Logen stammered around an answer and was relieved when Dria wasn't paying much attention to him anyways.

"How long have you had it?"

"Ever since I met you. I didn't know what it was."

Dria covered the shard with her hands and began to calm herself, digging within to find that place rolling with magic. "It's reeking with magic." She murmured.

"Magic? Is that why it would shock me?"

Dria's eyes popped open. "You could feel it?"

Logen nodded. Dria gave him a quizzical look but decided to think about such things later. She focused inward, gathered as much strength as she could and repeated the spell she had spoken earlier. Just as before her strength left her and she fell to her knees, only to be caught by Logen.

"What just happened?" He thundered. A bright light had enveloped her and suddenly she was as weak as a lamb. He held her tightly to keep her from falling.

"I had to seal the horn." She panted. "Or else the magic would evaporate."

"What's going on, Dria?" He demanded.

Ildrianna steadied herself against Logen's strong embrace. "I need to find the rest of the pieces of Ocean's horn before he remains silent forever."

* * *

This chapter has been edited.

Thank you for reviewing!

Please read and review for this chapter and I hope you enjoyed it.

BVR


	6. Aurora

**Aurora**

* * *

Aurora gazed into the Telling Pool upon the mortal plane; her dark eyes filled with concern and worry. What she saw was a once serene world crumbling under the crippling acts of war. She watched as the royal palace was sacked by Vurinadan troops, the capital was burning within a nearly moonless night. Fear and blood was the currency of this eventide, and the exchange was lives.

She closed her eyes and wanted to banish the image from the pool but doing so would not change the truth, though she wished it with all her heart.

"Dreamspeaker," Came a tentative voice near her flank.

Aurora turned her head and gazed lovingly at her pupil.

"Yes, Atalanta?"

The young lavender unicorn took tentative steps toward the pool, dancing upon nervous hooves. The pool began to ripple at her anxious energy, making the image waver on the brink of oblivion.

"Calm yourself, Atalanta, lest you lose the world below." Aurora chided sternly to her student.

The younger unicorn did as she was instructed and breathed deep before letting it out, the water shifting with her before settling out to as smooth as glass.

"You have not been practicing your concentration techniques, have you young one?"

If Atalanta could, she would have blushed, she had been caught. Of course, she expected for her teacher to notice, she noticed everything, nothing could fool those piercing eyes. She bowed her head and apologized to her mentor.

Aurora didn't blame the yearling for her disobedient behavior, she had been asking her pupil too much from one so young but it was needed. It was the Dreamspeaker's own fault for procrastinating in choosing her replacement and heir to the Dreamspeaker legacy. Here in the Valley one could easily forget the passage of time since it did not retain the same laws as it did in the world below. Time's powerful claws were merely gentle caresses here. It was the war that interrupted the delicate balance of the celestial plain, the Valley was a buzzing anthill of commotion and activity.

Her training with Atalanta had been forced into a faster pace and although the yearling was keeping up, she was struggling with her hastening destiny. Every time Aurora nit-picked at Atalanta she felt even more sorry. It was not in Aurora's nature to be so inflexible toward others, yet she felt she must in order to prepare for the rising tide of darkness.

Shaking her maroon head Aurora nuzzled Atalanta's withers in apology. "Very good."

Atalanta couldn't keep her excitement to herself, receiving compliments from the Lady was as rare as finding water in a desert. Unfortunately she regretted her reaction as the pool began to shake and shiver again.

"I'm sorry, Dreamspeaker!" The lavender yearling immediately calmed herself and stepped away from the pool. The further she was from the magical waters, the less likely it was to react to her wayward emotions.

Aurora chuckled lightly and tossed her head, her diamond studded horn glowing ever so slightly as it wiped the pool clean of its distorted image, reflecting her worried mahogany eyes as the war torn image sunk deeper and deeper into the den and vanished.

"It is alright, Atalanta, the image needed to be changed. There is so much sorrow where ever I look." She gazed upon the pool; its beauty and purity now hollow. She felt the energies of the deep magic all around her, which usually had comforted her but now it only reminded her of the passage of time and her disastrous decisions.

Time was suddenly so very precious and suddenly finite.

Was it right to send princess Ildrianna and Ocean across the tween, to banish them to a world where magic was waning and even reported as just mere myth? The path had never been chosen before; the magic surrounding the Gap had always been volatile. The Old One had said that there was always a price to be paid when crossing that tween.

What had been the price?

Aurora had searched and searched for the lost princess and her Bonded on the Other Side but all she saw were shadows. The link was broken, which could only mean that Ocean had been damaged in some shape or form while crossing over, or worse. The Lady of the Moon bowed her head in sorrow- she feared that somehow Ocean, leader of the Indigo band, had lost his horn.

It was the only logical explanation, unicorns were linked through their horns, it was how they could communicate with each other and beings around them. That was the only possibility that Aurora could command herself to acknowledge, the likelihood of Ocean's or Ildrianna's death was high. But for the life of her the Dreamspeaker would not think of such things until they were confirmed.

If it were true then Aurora was cut off from her majesty and Ocean. The only way to re-establish a link was to send another unicorn to cross the Gap, and that was impossible. Ever since the rainbow band that escorted Ildrianna and Ocean to the Other Side, few celestial unicorns were allowed to remain in Balinor. The risk of death was far too high. It was now considered sport by the Vurinadan to hunt and kill a celestial unicorn and harvest their horn.

The very thought sent chills down the Dreamspeaker's spine. Nothing was more sacred to a unicorn than their horn. Scouts would report fallen comrades left to rot in the blazing sun, foreheads covered with dried blood from having their horns savagely cut away. It was barbaric, it was unholy and blasphemous. But one question was left unanswered.

What happened to the horns once they were removed?

That was what the Dreamspeaker was searching for: an answer to please Numinor, the Golden One, newly crowned leader of the Celestial Herd. He was hot blooded and domineering, but also strong and courageous in the face of battle. He wanted answers and he wanted them now.

But no matter how hard she looked; Aurora could not find the missing horns. It was as if they had vanished. Taken from celestial unicorns she should have been able to see where they were, even if they were separated from their masters. All she saw was darkness.

It was the same with Ocean. All she saw were shadows, and different imaging battling with each other for supremacy over the pool. She saw scattered places, places that sometimes changed, sometimes turned completely inside out. It made no sense. No matter how often she tried to sooth the churning waters the images remained elusive.

At times like these she wished that she still had her mentor, the previous Dreamspeaker, Minora. She had been of the vermillion band and had been one of the most powerful Dreamspeakers to ever carry the name. Her command of water was infallible and expert. But she had already passed and Aurora was left behind. Now it was her turn to govern Atalanta.

She studied the wayward yearling closely before snorting. She needed more practice with the pool and she would provide her that.

"Step closer, young one." She demanded.

Atalanta did as she was told and approached her mentor with wavering confidence. She had only just begun learning the nuances of the Telling Pool.

"Today I want you to help me with seeing princess Estellana." Atalanta's eyes widened with the enormity of the request. "She has been captured by the dark prince during the first attack. I've been tracking her where-abouts but she had been constantly moved further and further into the interior of Vurinada."

"Is she alright? Where is she now? She hasn't been hurt has she?" Atalanta fired off question after question.

"Hush now, Atalanta. You are always so impatient. A Dreamspeaker must have all-"

"-'The patience in all the world to transcend the walls that separate this world and the world below. It is only with patience that I will succeed.' I know, I know." The lavender unicorn finished for her teacher.

Aurora nipped at her student. "If you know such things then why don't you put it into practice?"

"I'm sorry Dreamspeaker. I will be better!" Atalanta rubbed her head affectionately against Aurora's shoulder.

The Lady wanted to kick herself. She would always forget that Atalanta was after all, just a yearling. She was still just a filly and had a lot of growing to do. Forcing such a burden on her at such a young age was in its own right cruel.

"I know you will, young one. After I am done training you, you will be a great Dreamspeaker."

"Only with your help of course." The yearling pipped, dancing upon her hooves, settling down again and taking a deep breath. "I'm ready now."

"I can see. Now think of the world below and concentrate on Estellana's image. Seek out her aura and conjure the image into the pool." Aurora's voice became a soothing murmur as she watched her pupil closer her eyes and begin to summon the essence of deep magic to aid her.

The pool quieted and began humming with gathering energy, but it was choppy and intermittent. Frustrated Atalanta tried to force the magic to do her bidding but it made the summoning that much harder. Her lavender eyes popped open as the magic collapsed around her.

"I can't..."

Aurora tossed her head. "Of course you can. You cannot force the deep magic as you were. It is like forcing a mountain to bend to water. You are like a howling wind, but you must channel water."

Atalanta tilted her head. "But water doesn't do anything to a mountain."

"Not immediately. But given enough time and _patience_," She smiled at her student. "The rock will erode away."

Atalanta nodded in understanding. _Be water..._

She closed her eyes and let the magic swell over her and slowly did as her mentor directed. She could feel the magic gathering as she reached out with her senses to Estellana in the world below.

"Very good, Atalanta. You have surpassed my expectations."

At hearing Aurora's voice Atalanta's eyes snapped open and she gasped at what she saw in the pool. There was Estellana locked within a bedchamber curled within the corner.

"I did it!" Atalanta exclaimed but snapped back to attention at a stern look from the Dreamspeaker and an accusing shimmer of the pond's surface.

"Perhaps not."

"But I still did it, didn't I?" Atalanta pouted, stretching her neck further to get a better look. "Where is she?"

"You tell me. The aura from Estellana should be tethered to yours for the moment. In that state you should know what she knows. Concentrate and listen to what she is trying to tell you."

Atalanta strained against the image for a moment, battling the deep magic for supremacy before remembering what Aurora had told her. She must be as water. And with that she calmed herself and let the deep magic flow freely through her and ever so slowly begin to whisper the secrets of the image.

"She is in the home of a Vurinadan aristocrat, held captive. She's always locked within the room, the windows are sealed shut with magic. The only people she ever sees are servants. Her encounter with the dark prince was of the night she was captured. Since then she has had little contact with people." Atalanta let out a gusty sigh of exhaustion. Holding onto the image was draining. She didn't understand how the Dreamspeaker could sift through the pool for hours on end when this one session was becoming so depleting.

"Very good Atalanta. You're doing well." Aurora waved her horn over the pool and took over the tether, allowing the burden to fall on her power. She watched, amused, as the lavender unicorn shook all over.

"That is so draining, Dreamspeaker! How do you manage it?"

"It becomes easier with time. You must build an endurance to withstand longer lengths of time."

Atalanta nodded. She watched the young princess cry herself to sleep on the floor, even though the chamber was fit for any high born, complete with vanity and a giant flowing bed. Instead the princess picked the coldest part of the room to escape the comforting clutches of her gilded cage. Her dinner lay cold and uneaten upon the writing desk.

But something important was missing.

"Dreamspeaker, where is Emera?"

Aurora sighed. "That is a good question. I have been searching for her for weeks yet she remains elusive."

"You mean even you cannot find her?"

"Believe it or not, young one, I am not all powerful." Aurora jested. Far from it, she thought to herself. She thought about Estellana's bonded pair. Emera was from the green band. From a young age she always exhibited unusual power.

Many unicorns have special abilities. Aurora and Atalanta were one such examples. The ability to sift through the world using only a pool of water, or come into people's dreams was profound only in Dreamspeakers. That particular ability only manifested itself when the current Speaker wished to pass on their knowledge.

Abilities were more often apparent within particular bands, like Emera. Though rare Emera had the power to blend with the energies of plant life, which, when she was a young foal, made her the envy of all who played hide-and-seek. With just mere thoughts Emera could merge with the grass, the trees, the flowers and hide her entire aura and truly become invisible as she traveled through connecting energies.

It was why she was so incredibly useful in times like these. She had been sent on a mission to Balinor to see if she could gather information and to keep a watchful eye on her Bonded. Ever since she had left her aura had vanished and Aurora had lost contact. The Lady of the Moon had not worried at first but time had passed and there was still no word.

The green band had assured her that she was still alive. They were all connected and they could feel if one of their own had vanished or died. They told her that she was still with them.

"Can the princess still feel Emera?" Atalanta asked, jolting Aurora from her darkening thoughts.

She looked sadly upon the pool. "No. Estellana has given up hope and is so filled with grief that she cannot feel anything beyond herself."

"How can she lose hope? Don't you visit her in her dreams?"

"I have tried, young one, but she finds no rest in her dreams. Whether she knowns it or not she is resisting me, and that is what leads me to believe that she has given up. Besides, the new moon approaches and the world below will be closed to me." Aurora explained. "Numinor has forbade me to enter into the dreams of mortals until I have found Ildrianna and Ocean."

"Why has he done that?" To the lavender yearling the very idea seemed utterly preposterous.

"The last time I tried to enter into Estellana's dreams something powerful threw me back. All around me was oblivion, the darkness was so deep and consuming that it sapped me of my strength to fight and I had to be pulled back." Aurora admitted.

"But what could possibly stop you?" Atalanta asked, horrified.

"I do not know. I only know that I feel this evil emanating all around Estellana and I fear its influence. I believe that it is this darkness that steals away the princess's courage. Numinor will not allow me to venture down the dreaming path until we know for sure what the insidious aura is. But I have a plan..." Aurora watched the princess startle as a servant entered her chambers and began clearing away the uneaten food.

"What is it, Dreamspeaker?" Atalanta pressed.

"I must wait until the full moon is high in the sky to try to make contact with Estellana, when my magic and powers are at their peak. Atalanta... I must ask something of you, and it shames me to do this." Aurora lowered her head and closed her eyes somberly.

Atalanta snapped to attention. "Anything teacher. I am ready." She stomped her foot in emphasis.

Aurora gazed sadly upon her student. Youthful naiveté. That was all that Aurora could see, a boisterous youth ready to take on the world who thought herself untouchable. But what she was about to ask was dangerous and going against Numinor's mandate. Not only was she about to put her student in serious jeopardy she was also getting her into serious trouble with unforgivable consequences if they failed or got caught.

"You must swear your secrecy to me, Atalanta. You must not speak of this to anyone, I must know that this is between you and I. For we are both Dreamspeakers, and such matters are things that only we could fully understand." Aurora said slowly and carefully, staring down the younger unicorn.

"I swear." Atalanta nodded her head, "I shall not tell a soul!"

Aurora sighed. "You know I plan to make contact again, and this is what I want you to keep to yourself and not tell any other. But what I need to ask most gravely from you is to assist in the contact."

Atalanta remained speechless for a moment before she found her voice. "But you just said that even you could not face the darkness!" Atalanta exclaimed in a sudden panic.

"I know but I foolishly thought that there would be no wards around the princess and I made contact during the waning of the moon. This time will be different. We will make contact when the moon is at its fullest and climbing towards its zenith. I shall be more powerful, as will you. I am hoping that together we can penetrate the looming blackness and reach her highness." Aurora countered.

"But what if we fail? What will happen?" The yearling bleated.

"I do not know. But we must try. I will not condemn Estellana to be so utterly alone in that consuming night." Aurora vowed vehemently. "Will you not help me?"

Before Atalanta could answer a shout interrupted.

"Dreamspeaker!"

Aurora's head whipped towards the sound, her eyes wide and ears alert. She knew the owner of the voice.

"Valorna."

The golden unicorn was by their side in a flash, her slender legs grinding to halt perfectly next to the two unicorns, hardly kicking up a cloud of dust. Among the celestial unicorns she was known as the Golden Flash for her glorious speed.

Atalanta danced in place to see the golden unicorn. "Rapid!"

Valorna bowed her head a bit in respect for the coveted position of Dreamspeaker, second in its importance to Numinor's, though Valorna herself didn't need to show such proprieties.

"My Lady, his Lordship wishes to know of the progress you have made on her Majesty and Lord Ocean." Rapid spoke fluidly, speaking the question as mere formalities for she knew the answer.

Not to Valorna's surprise she saw Aurora age markedly before her eyes. "Everyday you ask the same question and everyday he hears the same answer. When I find something I will inform him immediately,until then..." The Dreamspeaker drifted off, not bothering to finish her response.

"I know, Lady. But he still won't get the idea. Demanding for results will not get them faster, especially when deep magic is involved." Valorna snorted, tossing her head in irritation.

After a brief silence between the two, Atalanta wished nothing more then soothe the tensions she could feel rising. "Rapid, Rapid! Guess what?"

Valorna's sour expression instantly softened as she peered at the excited little yearling before her. "Yes, Atalanta, what is it?" Her dark eyes sifted towards Aurora but only saw her loving yet amused facade.

The lavender unicorn rose up on her hindquarters in her excitement, throwing her head high into the air. "I finally conjured an image from the Telling Pool all by myself!"

Valorna whinnied her congratulations to the ever growing pupil.

"I couldn't hold it for very long but I managed to see princess Estellana."

At hearing that Valorna tensed. "And how is her majesty doing?" Concern clouding her eyes, her voice masked from the very real fear she had for the poor girl.

"She still remains the same, though I see her breaking under the strain of her capture." Aurora answered for her student.

Valorna's head dropped and nearly touched the sweet scented grassed at her feet yet they did not seem inviting in the least.

"I could feel her energies too, Rapid! It was my first time to connect with the thing I was seeing. She feels so very lonely and afraid." Atalanta danced on the tips of her hooves, though she was speaking sad news she was so proud of her accomplishments.

Behind her, excited from the nervous and flourishing energies from Atalanta, the Telling Pool began to shimmer and move.

"What of Emera? Have you gained any ground on that?" Valorna again asked Aurora.

The Dreamspeaker sighed heavily. "I have made numerous trips to find members of the green band and they assure me that Emera's energies have not dissipated. However they still do not know the exact location of her where-abouts. Even those who have her ability cannot sense her aura well, though they admit that they know she is still alive."

While Valorna and Aurora were talking Atalanta began feeling a tingling sensation at the base of her horn, as if something were calling towards her. No matter how much she tried to pay attention to the words being said it was as if something were speaking to her in such hushed and whispered tones that all she could hear was sound and not individual words.

She tossed her head this way an that, earning a peculiar look from Rapid, of which Atalanta blushed and laughed it off. The pool began feeding off this new nervous energy, sapping it away as it began to strengthen. The waters churned even as they began to clear, the whisperings of the deep magic becoming more clear.

Atalanta began pawing at the ground in irritation. She did not know what was happening. Her concentration became so clouded that she bleated loudly to get that tendril seeking cobweb out of her mind.

"Atalanta, what has gotten into you?" Aurora admonished, appalled that she had just so rudely interrupted their conversation.

"I really don't know." Was all the yearling replied, scratching her head against her knee.

"Dreamspeaker, the pool. Does it always do that?" Valorna asked, craning her head to the side as she saw water lapping up against the protective rocks that cradled the sacred waters.

Aurora immediately snapped to attention as she spun on her heel and faced the magical pool. Her eyes widened in shock as the waters within were a murky black as colors vied for dominance to settled upon the surface.

"Is this your magic, Aurora?" Asked Valorna, dropping her formal title, a trace of fear bending her voice.

"No, this is not mine. Something is trying to come forth from the pool on its own." The Dreamspeaker sounded shocked at even her own words. Never before had something conjured itself by itself.

The golden unicorn didn't accept such an answer. Though there was a first time for everything she did not believe this was being done alone. The deep magic needed a medium in order to work and as she stared at the lavender unicorn dancing nervously at her side she knew who the medium was.

"Dreamspeaker, I would ask your pupil about this."

Aurora turned suddenly from the pool towards Atalanta who suddenly quivered under such hard and unyielding mahogany eyes. "What are you doing?"

Atalanta wilted under the blistering question. "I'm not doing anything." She responded quietly.

"Aurora, don't be so hard on her, she is green when it comes to things such as these." Valorna defended the frightened yearling.

Aurora snorted angerly and bore her teeth at the amber unicorn, making her take a step back at the sudden hostility.

"You don't understand, Valorna." Atalanta spoke up.

The golden unicorn glanced at the yearling.

"It is why my teacher always tells me that I must be patient and that I must always be tranquil so that my energies don't conflict or arouse negative magic to swell within the pool. It's why she always wants me to be collected when I am with her, because you never know..."

"What will be conjured within the pool if you're not." Aurora finished for her, already collected herself after her little outburst.

Valorna's eyes widened as she understood why Aurora was always nipping and beating down Atalanta's natural vivacity and vigor. It was unsuited to be as such if one were to become a Dreamspeaker. It made sense to her now, why all the Dreamspeaker predecessors were always so demure and quiet. Yet, as Valorna was watching Aurora coaching her student into calming the waters to see the uninvited image and let it sink back into oblivion, she could see that just like Aurora's predecessors that her spirit was unyielding and strong just like water.

Atalanta approached the pool and marshaled her thoughts as she ever so gracefully arched her neck and touched the very tip of her crystal horn and touched the surface of the pool. From the contact the pool instantly stilled as the image began to clear. A cloudy figure could be seen yet by the second the fuzzy edges cleared until a young man could be seen clearly.

"Who is that?" Asked Atalanta bluntly, panting a bit as she tried to hold onto the image.

Aurora immediately took over the tether of magic and allowed her student to heave a sigh of relief.

"What is it, Dreamspeaker?" Asked Valorna.

"Hush!" Aurora snapped, using all her focus and concentration to hold onto the image. The deep magic was resisting her, even though she could barely feel its presence emanating from the image. She breathed deeply and settled herself as she watched the man walk into a building with a woman at his side.

The sun was bright and the wind was blowing gustily as they both disappeared within the structure. The image switched to the den of the barn, as Aurora came to recognize it, that housed...

She gasped! These creatures that look like unicorns were hornless! No where in Balinor could such creatures could be found, of that Aurora was sure.

"Do you know what you have done, child?" Aurora asked her student, looking upon her with wonder.

Atalanta shook her head, she could not understand the images she was viewing. It was just as well, since she was but a yearling and had yet to descend to the mortal plain below and truly understand the world of man.

"Watch closely then." Aurora instructed.

* * *

Ildrianna couldn't believe that the weather finally broke and spring was here. The world she had come to had come alive. The first blush of spring was blooming upon the fields of heather. Heavy rains had come to melt the lingering snow and the aroma of the highlands was heavy with bursting buds.

Today was the first time it was sunny and bright and Ildrianna demanded that she enjoy it with a ride. Logen had decided to accompany her, to protect her from anything else that might be enjoying the highlands. Ladies were not to go running around the countryside without an escort, especially such beauties as Dria, his father had told him.

Logen couldn't agree more.

Dria was laughing and twirling about as she brought out her steed into the open fresh air. This was his first real jaunt into the open countryside with his lady.

Logen watched as the two seemed to dance with excitement, chasing each other around the paddock and stables. He had never seen a horse act with such joy around their rider. He hefted his saddle and bridle over his shoulder.

"Aren't you goin' to tack up your horse?" He called after her.

"No, why should I?" She answered, racing after her steed.

"Not even a bridle?"

Dria stopped running and whistled for Ocean. He immediately complied and trotted towards her. She spoke a few words to him and to Logen's astonishment watched as the towering giant gracefully curled his two front legs underneath his body and knelt before Dria. She curtsied back, lifting her peasant dress with dainty fingers, arching her neck and bowing her head, which was covered by a wrap and bonnet, with such grace and practice it reminded Logen acutely that she was of nobility.

He against took in the shabby dress that was provided for her. She only had three dresses to choose from to wear each day. Each were hand-me-downs from Nessa when she had been much younger. They had been stitched and hemmed to better fit Dria's petite figure. Though Dria had been gracious in donning such poor attire Logen wondered what she truly thought of such raiment.

Dria twirled and sashayed her way around Ocean's front and mounted his back in one graceful leap, finding her seat with finesse. And as usual Logen was surprised with how graceful Dria's steed could move his large body as he stood up. But then again, he had to remind himself that Ocean was a unicorn. He still was having a hard time wrapping his mind around that one.

Ever since their trek into the woods where he first found her she had yet to really reveal anything else about who she was or where she came from, though Logen began to think that Dria was not really from this country, let alone from this world. But he was a simple man from simple means and expected such a simple life. Never in his dream did he expect anything such as this.

Dria had asked his confidence in secrecy when it came to Ocean. Logen readily agreed. He had a hard time dealing with it and he didn't think that he could really convince his family of such things. In that regard Logen and Dria had become closer, he dared say that they were becoming friends.

And that was something he never thought would be truly possible. Befriending a noble? If some fortune teller had told him that in his near future he would save and befriend a highborn, meet a unicorn in need and together help them find the rest of its lost and broken horn he would have laughed all the way to Inverness and back. But the fickle gods it would seem had other plans.

"Why don't you ride bare-back like me?" Dria called, guiding her mount closer to the barn.

Logen approached Calwel's stall and put the tack down. Calwel stuck his head out the stall window and whinnied to Ocean, eagerly bobbing his head up and down. Ocean responded back, arching his head proudly, pawing at the earth beneath his feet. Dria put a steady hand on his withers to quiet him down.

"My mount isn't as disciplined as yours." He answered, unlatching the door and shoving Calwel's head back into his stall.

"Then why not use the bridle and little else, lest you're afraid of riding without a saddle." Dria challenged.

Logen poked his head from the stall. "Doona think me willy-nilly about riding without a saddle!" He scowled, she was blatantly baiting him and he knew it, and he like some little boy was falling for it utterly.

"Then prove it, noble sir, else you are unworthy as a rider." Dria straightened her posture and gave Logen a haughty stare that was completely royal in every sense of the word and would have made any of Dria's subject wilt before her. But not Logen, he merely scoffed and disappeared back into Calwel's stall.

Dria laughed as she backed Ocean out of the barn and continued to walk him around the paddock, getting him warmed up for the impending ride. When Logen emerged from the barn he was mounted on Calwel without a saddle and only a bridle.

Dria cheered him on as he trotted out into the paddock, keeping his seat easily.

"I must admit, sir, that you've surprised me." Dria smiled charmingly.

"Good to hear that you can still be surprised." Logen pulled on the reins for Calwel to stop. The chestnut touched noses with Ocean and seemed delighted to just be near the mighty stallion. Logen still couldn't get over the fact that they wouldn't bicker or fight like normal stallions would.

"Are you ready?" Dria tightened her grip on Ocean's mane, clutching the deep blue strands and wrapping them around her fingers.

Logen gave Dria a devilish smile, "Are you?" He said in that deep Scottish brogue.

Dria's cheeks were stained pink as she nodded. She liked how Logen and his family talked, they sounded like nothing else she had ever heard before.

Logen tapped his heels into Calwel's side and the pair plunged forward. Ocean was quick to follow, battling for the lead and the whipping wind of the brand new spring day. His lady arched low on his back, easily riding on his unsteady gait over the rough terrain. Dria was so focused on riding that she hardly noticed when her loosely wrapped bonnet flew off, unleashing her bound tresses.

* * *

"Tell Numinor that we have found her Majesty and Ocean." Aurora whispered, never taking her eyes off the pool. Atalanta was also by her side, watching the pool just as intently. She knew the significance of the situation and remained steadfast next to the Dreamspeaker.

"Truely?" asked Valorna tentatively.

Without turning her head Aurora said softly, "Truely."

* * *

This chapter had been edited.

So yet again, I'm sorry that this was so late. My Internet has been giving me hell and I've been debating on this chapter a lot. I've rewritten it so many times that I was just so disgusted with it that I had to put it down for a while.

Finally I just started writing and just letting the chapter flow and let me be along for the ride and I'm actually quite happy with it.

Again I want to thank 365PagesOfAwesomeness for reviewing, you are such a good encourager that I wanted to make this chapter long. I actually had to stop because it was getting just too long.

As for my other reviewer I thank you for your close observations and I've been trying to comb through my work to try to correct grammatical and spelling errors. But I have to disagree with that Mary-Sue comment. It makes me wonder if you are reading the same story. Dria doesn't want to be a royal, she has significant trouble with using magic, and she is in denial and refuse to step up to the plate to do what she needs to do.


	7. The Kiss and The Nest

**The Kiss and the Nest**

* * *

"I have no idea where the cap could have gone, I'm so sorry Logen." Dria wailed, slouching on Ocean's back. The indigo unicorn crow-hopped, unseating his rider who immediately straightened her posture. "Sorry Ocean." She knew how uncomfortable it was to have a slouching unbalanced rider upon his back. When she was just learning how to ride he often commented on it.

"'Tis alright, lass. 'Twas a mere bonnet is all." He was more amused by her tussled wind blown hair. It was unruly before but now it was truly wild.

At his mirth Dria wrinkled her nose and stuck out her tongue at him.

"Now is that such lady-like behavior?" He laughed, loud and deep.

"No, it most certainly is not. Is it right for a man to laugh at a woman?" She shot back, grabbing at her dark tresses and running her fingers through them. The strands were so tangled that soon she was developing a minor headache from the ordeal. Instead she thought better of it and separated it out into three parts and began braiding around the crown of her head.

Logen watched entranced. "You ken my wee sisters know how to do such things with their hair but I couldna catch on. My fingers would become twisted betwixt their locks."

"Its not too difficult. I should have done this instead of wearing that cap." Dria answered absent-mindedly.

Logen kept his silence; it was not what he was getting at. "So it's the same from where you come from."

Dria's fingers froze where they were as her head jerked up to look at Logen. "What do you mean?"

"Come now, Dria. You yourself have hinted that you are not from anywhere 'round here." Logen all but snapped. He was getting rather tired of her dancing around his questions or around the facts.

Dria looked away from him and continued to braid her hair.

Logen breathed deeply and looked away as well, looking out across the fields of heather that lay before them. They were still out on their ride, touring the countryside. Their ride had been easy, letting Ocean stretch out his limbs and allowing them to rest and graze upon the fragile sprouting grass.

Dria had been an incredible rider, easily clinging to her mount with her legs, holding tightly onto his mane. Logen kept up but had a better time with the bridle.

"Not tellin' me anything isn't helping." Logen said, exasperated.

"It doesn't matter. I can't go back." Came her cold words in all their finality.

"Why is that?"

Ocean's head snapped up as he turned his neck to eye his rider. His azure ears were flattened on his skull as a threatening rumble vibrated through his chest. Ildrianna stared back just as intently.

"It's true." She told him.

Ocean snorted.

"Just because you don't want to believe it doesn't change the truth." Dria went on, coldly, tying off the last knot to keep her hair in place. "You knew that once we were hear it was next to impossible to return."

The indigo bore his teeth at her, all but growling at his lady, stomping his iron hoof. Calwel felt the sudden change in the normally placid and good-natured unicorn and began to back off, eyes wide.

"What are you talkin' about?" Logen quested, not understanding what was going on between the pair.

"They probably don't even know what's happened to us. How else would you explain them not contacting us? You would think that either one of us would have gotten a message from the Dreamspeaker at least or had another Celestial come through." Ildrianna scoffed, folding her arms across her chest. Ocean's body began to tremble in bridled fury at what he was hearing.

"No one knows what is on the other side, except us. And you can feel it better than I that there is little magic here. They won't be able to find us."

Ocean shook his head and neighed out his frustrations.

"We don't know where the Gap is."

The whites of Ocean's eyes began to show.

"And even if we did we're not strong enough to open it. Face it, we're stuck here."

And with those words finally spoken Ocean lashed out towards his Bonded pair and bit her hard on her calf. The young queen yelped in as much surprise as she was in pain, leaning forward to bat Ocean's head away. He let go onto to pitch his body forward, bucking, as he threw Dria off his back.

"Dria!" Logen shouted as he dismounted from his horse.

Dria fell hard on her side, her breath knocked from her breast. She struggled to catch her breath as she tried to keep her world from spinning. Above her Ocean was rearing wildly, ears pinned back as he trumpeted his fury. Iron hooves clawed at the sky before crashing down mere inches from Ildrianna's prone form.

Logen tried to get closer to yank Dria away from the increasingly dangerous situation but the indigo preempted the rescue strike. He wheeled about on front hooves and made to strike Logen with his hindquarters. The Scot had to dive recklessly away from the scene to escape the deadly attack.

"Ocean…" Dria tried to speak yet her breath had yet to return. Everything was happening to fast that only mere seconds had passed.

Calwel came to Logen's defense, stepping between Logen and Ocean. This infuriated Ocean even more as he began to lash out at the older chestnut, kicking him in the barrel and biting ferociously at his neck and flank. But Calwel managed to maneuver Logen away from the hostile unicorn.

Ocean made one last mock charge at Calwel before he returned his wrath towards Ildrianna, the cause of his pain. Her words had cut him to the core and hurt him in such a way because all her points could be true. The fact that Aurora hadn't contacted him in any dream, just as Ildrianna said, meant that his kin on the other side really didn't know what was happening. He didn't remember where the Gap was and his lady was right, they weren't strong enough to open it. And there hadn't been any other Celestial unicorns that had come through with any news.

It was a truth that he wasn't ready to accept but it was obvious that his lady had thought much in such matters. How he hated not having his horn, that barred his thoughts from his lady's, that kept him as silent and voiceless as Calwel and the other horses. It was as if he was struck dumb.

If his thoughts had been linked with hers it would have lessened the blow, he would have known what was swimming around in her head and they would have talked it over. If they could talk he would ask her so many questions. What had happened in the moments before they crossed the Gap? What happened while they were crossing the Gap?

All he could remember was that they were running. Running for their lives. Running from the horrors of the palace. Running from the dark prince. But the moments before the Gap opened? He couldn't recall. He couldn't recall where they had come out of the Gap. He didn't know how he knew but he felt that the place where he had left Ildrianna and searched for people was not the place that they had first entered in this world.

If only he could speak!

It's not true, he thought. It's not true.

_It's not true!_

Ildrianna jolted at the thundering scream that resonated within her head. It was so loud that she instinctively covered her ears even thought she knew that it wouldn't help at all. In that single sentence Dria could feel at the hurt and worry and pent up frustration and rage at the entire situation and at her. She could even feel the fear that lay still and deep in his heart- the fear that she would forgo finding the piece of his horn and settle permanently in a life here.

She hadn't known. How could she have known? Their bond had been broken and their silence was so complete that she often had to guess at his line of thought, though most often she was right there were still things that _must_ be said between them to be fully understood.

"Ocean I'm sorry! I didn't mean to scare you! I know it's not true." Dria screamed, trying to get her raging steed's attention and it worked.

The indigo froze and stared at his mistress. Had she truly heard him?

"I didn't mean to hurt you. Of course it's not true. We just have to be patient. I'm sure something will happen." Dria got onto shaky feet, stumbling a bit before catching her balance. She reached out a tentative hand toward Ocean's muzzle. "There is one thing that you should never doubt, even if everything else is thrown into question and that is my unbending will to restore you to your complete form." She whispered to him. "Nothing will be right until I have you back again and can hear your thoughts freely again."

Ocean's sides heaved before he finally lowered his head and allowed his lady to touch him. With soft fingers she pulled him closer and embraced him.

Logen had frozen into place, not believing what just happened.

"Did I just hear him speak?" He sputtered.

Ocean and Dria turned toward Logen, one in disbelief and the other in shock.

* * *

"What you've done is something I have been working on for weeks now." Aurora told Atalanta as she fondly nudged the yearling away from the pool, letting the image of Ildrianna and Ocean fade away. They had been watching them as they rode through fields and forest together with the young man and the other hornless unicorn.

It grieved Aurora deeply to find that Ocean had lost his horn but she knew that somehow the young queen was searching for it. That it was going to be all right. Just to know that they were alive was a vast improvement. These new problems could be solved with enough time. To know they were alive was everything.

"I don't even know how I did it, Aurora." The lavender unicorn was exhausted, she had been watching and helping Aurora calm and keep the image from fading. When it became too taxing upon them both they let the image fade, much to Atalanta's displeasure. She had wanted to continue but the Dreamspeaker would have none of it.

"It has happened before to other Dreamspeakers. One can conjure unwanted images from their restless energies. At times the can be of nothing of importance, at others they can be of things you want or need to see." Aurora explained. "But such things can be dangerous, images can come that that you may not wish to see."

They made their way towards a bubbling spring to refresh themselves. As Atalanta bent her head to drink she heard the Lady of the Moon speak again.

"I did not mean to be so cross with you before, Atalanta. I only feared for your safety. One can never know how the deep magic will react, especially in the sensitive waters of the pool. Will you forgive me?"

Atalanta looked up at the maroon unicorn, her face so filled with sorrow and worry. At first Atalanta couldn't understand how she couldn't see it before. How could she have missed it? Aurora was wearing underneath her front of serenity. Before her very eyes she suddenly became older than what she was. No longer was there was that mysterious gleam in her eye. Instead it was replaced with fatigue from staying up late into the night searching and watching, being the eyes and ears for Numinor to all of Balinor.

That job alone must be so draining.

Immediately Atalanta perked up and nuzzled against Aurora's cheek. "I know you didn't mean me any harm, Dreamspeaker."

The maroon nudged and nuzzled her back as they shared a bonding moment.

"Dreamspeaker, may I have a moment." Came a deep voice filled with authority.

Aurora didn't flinch as her pupil did; instead she turned gracefully to receive the owner of the voice. In all his golden glory Numinor strode forward with Valorna at his side along with his personal entourage.

Aurora gave them all a cursory glance, "You didn't waste any time." She spoke to Valorna with no hint of amusement. "I told you that I would come to Numinor's side once I was finished."

Numinor pawed the earth beneath his feet as he arched his neck, letting his splendid golden mane billow in the gentle wind. His diamond studded horn and glossy fair-haired coat made him a striking figure in Aurora's mind.

"You would disrespect your lord?" Numinor curled his lip.

It was his mouth and attitude that repulsed her from him.

"Never, my lord." She responded amused, Aurora dipped her head mockingly. Though she was known for being reserved in most scenarios it was her secret pleasure to irritate the new King of Celestial unicorns. Though Numinor was the strongest and most capable of them all and chosen by the Father, in her eyes he was still a young bachelor stallion, all bark. To her he had yet to earn his title.

Numinor snorted. "I grew intolerant with your tardiness."

"I apologize, my lord. Atalanta and I wished to quench our thirsts before we ventured to find you. We meant no inconvenience."

At that Numinor said nothing. Leave it to Aurora to make him seem like an impatient little colt. Around her he couldn't help but feel so inexperienced. He couldn't control her like any of the others, she was beyond his grasp and worst yet, and she knew it. He could see it in the way she looked at him now.

And there was nothing he could do about it.

"Valorna has informed me that you have finally found her majesty and Ocean."

At that Aurora laughed quietly. "No, I haven't."

Numinor took in a deep breath as he stared at the golden unicorn at his side. "But Valorna told me that you saw them in the pool."

"I did see them in the pool." Aurora nodded.

"Then "

"That wasn't what I meant." Aurora interrupted.

Numinor hated to be interrupted. "Then what did you mean?" He ground out, his fur standing on end.

Aurora's eyes twinkled as she spoke. "I meant it was not I who finally found them." She twisted her neck and smiled at Atalanta.

The lavender unicorn had been watching her teacher verbally spar with Numinor and was succeeding in getting the new king quite worked up. Atalanta thought that he was quite imposing and had told Aurora that she was afraid. When she suddenly found all the attention was upon her she shrank against Aurora's side. All she wanted to do was to hide but the Dreamspeaker's assuring gaze gave her enough courage.

"Explain." Numinor demanded.

Aurora bowed, "As you wish. It was Atalanta."

Numinor waited for the maroon unicorn to continue but it clearly seemed that she had finished speaking her tale. How he wished to bite her, and how he despised how she brought out the juvenile in him. Instead he turned his burning gaze onto the lavender and a part of him was satisfied that she was affected by his presence, even if her teacher was not.

He took a step forward before asking, "You were the one who found the queen?"

Atalanta nodded, not quite able to look Numinor in the eye. Aurora watched the scene and was not amused.

"After so long, your pupil was the one to find them. I find that ironic, Dreamspeaker." Numinor all but sneered. Aurora seemed unphased.

"I knew from the beginning that my choice in the next Dreamspeaker was a good one, her actions today only prove it." Aurora said proudly, diffusing Numinor's implied insult.

The Golden One let it go. "How did you do it?"

Atalanta finally looked Numinor in the eye when she answered, "I don't know. I wasn't even trying when it happened."

At that Numinor laughed. He turned to Aurora. "You were looking for weeks yet she found them without even trying."

"It only proves how powerful she is and what she will be in the near future." Aurora answered.

And Numinor had to agree on that. He eyed the lavender unicorn once again and really looked at her. Though she was but a yearling he could tell that she would be beautiful, he could see all the blooming beauty within her purple eyes. Dragging his eyes away from her he again turned to Aurora.

"What can you tell me?" He asked seriously.

"Her majesty and lord Ocean are safe and sound on the Other Side, however their journey was not without peril. It seems that Ocean has lost his horn and with it his ability to speak and communicate not only with Ildrianna but with anyone. I had asked those of the indigo band if they could feel him and they could not."

Numinor balked at the news. Never before had this happened before. "What do you know about this Other Side?"

Aurora sighed. "Not much, it is as new to me as it is to you. But the reason why it was so difficult to find them was simple: the Other Side has essentially no magic."

The other unicorns around them gasped. A world without magic was simply unheard of.

"Do you understand what this means?" Aurora asked seriously, staring deeply at Numinor.

The Golden One remained silent as he thought of the implications. He knew that the Dreamspeaker was testing him- that she needed to hear the right answer. But his silence stretched too long as he watched Aurora turn away and close her eyes.

"Atalanta." She spoke the lavender's name.

The apprentice looked at her teacher then to the golden king as she began to understand why the Dreamspeaker didn't think much of him.

"It means," She spoke solemnly, "That without magic to support the Gap on the Other Side its impossible to bring them back."

* * *

"You mean you heard him too?" Asked Dria as she rubbed her sore calf. It had already bruised her skin black and blue but she didn't begrudge Ocean for it. She sat haphazardly in the rolling hills of heather with Logen beside her, watching the clouds crawl lazily by.

"I dinna hear him, it twas more like he was inside my head." Logen tried to explain.

"That is how I would normally speak with Ocean when I wish to speak privately with him. Otherwise he would speak aloud like you and me." Dria explained. "But when we speak privately usually only we can hear each other." She began picking at the grass before her.

Logen really wasn't as surprised to have heard Ocean's voice as Dria was. He recalled the time when he was in the barn with Ocean when he had first touched him. He could feel Ocean's emotions and even grasp some thoughts. The fact that he actually heard him speak just confirmed what had happened before.

In his mind he was trying desperately to explain what had happened then. Now it just made sense.

"What I don't understand is _why_ you could hear him." Dria went on, looking at Calwel and Ocean grazing together near by. Ocean kept an ear out for the conversation but otherwise couldn't supply much of an answer.

Logen rubbed his head, pushing his brunette hair from his green eyes. "I doona think I can answer you that." That one stumped him.

Dria looked at him thoughtfully and Logen began to squirm under the intense gaze of her sea foam eyes.

"What?" He finally broke the silence.

Dria started a bit at the outburst. "Nothing. I'm just trying to think how you could have heard him. You don't have any magical abilities do you?"

Logen couldn't help but laughed. His reaction made Dria blush for asking, she could feel no magic emanating from him. At her darkening expression he immediately answered, "No, no."

"It was a legitimate question, you know." She huffed, trying to hide her face from her embarassment. Though she liked to hear Logen laugh and his rolling brogue she didn't want to hear it at her expense. She didn't like it but she was a royal, and royals had to be dignified at all times. It was not good for their reputation to be laughed at.

"Yes, I know. But I do not have any magic abilities. The only people I could think of who would have magic are the gypsy Rom or the Christian priests, though they would never really admit it." Logen explained, trying to placate her.

Dria perked at the word, "Gypsies? You have them here?"

Logen nodded, scratching his stubbled jaw. "Aye, they are a group of nomadic tribesmen. Most get on in a bad way with authority but they have the most amazing trinkets to trade. They often make good hired help. At times da will hire a few in the summer and fall months."

"We have gypsies where I'm from but I don't think they are the same here..." Dria smiled sheepishly,she thought of the nomadic tribes of Balinor, the ever fearsome centaurs. They roamed all over the country side and where known specifically for their merging with nature. They were in complete harmony with the world around them, if not with the human counter parts.

"What do you mean?" Logen asked, curious.

Dria thought of her friend Taya back in Balinor. She first met her when she was much younger when she and Ocean were on a ride. They had literally ran and smashed into each other. Dria had fallen off of Ocean and rolled down a forest slope with Taya close on her heels, tumbling behind her.

"They're just not the same." Dria finished, a part of her had hoped that maybe they were but she was slowly learning that things were much less extraordinary here.

"When will you tell me 'bout where you come from?" Logen asked, sighing.

"Its just really complicated." Dria said, staring again at Logen, her hand within her pocket as she stroked the fracture fragments of Ocean's horn when suddenly a thought struck her. "I bet I know why you could hear Ocean's voice!" She exclaimed excitedly.

Logen waited for her epiphany.

She brought out the acorna fragment and showed it to Logen. "You told me that at times when you held this it would jolt you with magic. When the magic was transferred to you it didn't just disappear, it was just stored within you."

Logen was understanding what she was getting at. "Its jolted me a few times, each time lancing up my arm and into my chest."

Dria nodded, scooting closer to Logen in her excitement for figuring out the puzzle. She grabbed Logen's hand, the one that he had been holding in front of himself as he relived the memory. She looked at his palm and noticed a star pinpoint upon his skin. It sometimes happened when those who touched a horn, especially when it was unwarranted. With her index finger she touched it, pressing gently.

Logen nearly leapt at the touch, the sensitivity of that one spot nearly made him rip his hand away from Dria's grasp.

"What in bloody hell was that?" He thundered and sputtered.

Dria let go, startled by his response. "You've got a Kiss." She explained.

Logen looked at his hand and rubbed the affected area, his fingers had become numb, the circulation stalled.

"I don't remember kissin' anyone, lass." He answered dumbly, defensively, not that he hadn't thought about it as he caught Dria's attention, his gaze stuck on her rosy lips.

Dria blushed again, this time even deeper as she shoved Logen away from her. "That's-" She floundered in her response. "That's not what I meant!"

"Then what did you mean, lass?" He asked briskly, acutely aware of her flushed cheeks.

Dria huffed. "A Kiss is when a mark is left upon the skin when touched by a unicorn's horn." She ground out, folding her arms over her chest.

He looked at his palm on his left hand but didn't really see a real difference between his right.

"I don't see any kiss." He retorted.

Dria sighed dramatically and took his hand from his face and showed it to the burning golden light of the sun. With gentle fingers she slowly inched her way to the tiny point of pearly white skin. She looked at the sun and began to angle his hand toward the light and a part of her was thrilled when she heard his gasp.

The light caught the Kiss at just the right angle that made the light fracture into a rainbow around his palm. The tiny star shimmered and wavered, casting an ethereal glow about the pair of them.

"That is your Kiss." Dria finally broke the silence and let go of his hand.

"What does it mean?" He breathed, flexing his hand, making the rainbow disappear.

"It means that you've touched the horn of a unicorn."

"What does it do?" He again focused on Dria.

She tilted her head to the side and looked thoughtfully at Ocean who was grazing closer and closer, Calwel like a shadow at his side.

"They do different things. Sometimes its like a birthmark and is just a mark. Other times they can help the owner channel magic. Its a wild thing because you can't really control what will happen and often times they activate without warning." She looked at Logen, "It may be the reason why you are so open to these explanations."

"Perhaps," He agreed. He looked up to the sky at the sun wondering who in this land had been touched like he had by a unicorn's horn. Perhaps he was the only in the world. He looked around himself and got up. "Come, 'tis time we return." He offered his hand to help Dria to her feet who readily accepted.

"Does that beast always kneel to you so you can mount him?" Logen asked as Ocean approached.

Dria smiled, "No, I can hop up on my own." And to prove it she vaulted onto Ocean's back, but her legs got all tangled within her frock. "Ah!" She clung to Ocean's neck as she tried to steady herself.

Logen burst into laughter as he watched the ungainly sight and rushed to aid her, capturing one of her booted feet and began tugging on the twisted material of her hem.

"Thank you." She finally managed, righting herself.

"Nothing at all, milady." Logen teased, bowing to her. "I've never seen a more graceful act in all my life."

"Well I'm not that great at riding in a dress!" She countered, tugging at the thing ruefully. "I usually would wear pants."

Logen mounted Calwel in one smooth and practiced leap and settled on his back. "You wore trews?" He asked, appalled. Trews were men apparel and they didn't belong on a woman. Even his mother had never done that when she rode.

Dria was slowly learning the idioms of this land. "Well yes, but I'm not supposed to. But its so much easier."

They began the trek back towards Logen's home, taking a different route. They began sifting through trees of the surrounding forests, playing a game of tag. Dria was trusting Logen to know where to go since she was still so disoriented when they went too far from the horse farm they worked, but Logen seemed to known the terrain like the back of his hand.

She was just about to catch up with Logen after he cleverly tagged her from behind when she suddenly pulled Ocean to a stop. There was a tingling sensation clawing at the nape of her neck. She looked around herself, seeing nothing but forest.

Green leafy ferns and deep verdant moss grew underfoot. Ivy clung and wrapped themselves intimately around the trunks of trees. The trees grew far apart, climbing up so high to compete for the rays of the sun. Dria knew it was an old forest by the fact there weren't any little trees around, there wasn't enough sunlight.

Logen turned Calwel around only to find Dria had fallen far behind. He loped easily to her side.

"What's wrong?" He asked, looking her up and down searching for any injury and finding none.

"I don't know." She looked left and right, trying to steady Ocean who began to shift his weight around. What ever it was he was feeling it too. "Something is here that I need to find." She tapped her dress near her pocket and found that the acorna was reacting to something.

Dria's eyes lit, "I think there is another piece of horn here!"

Logen blinked, "Really? Where?"

"I- I don't know. But I know its here, I just know it. It's around here somewhere." Dria dismounted and began pacing around the vacinity, going in every which direction, stopping, then changing and going a different way. Logen watched her for several moments.

"What are you doing?"

Ildrianna walked away from them before stopped ad turning around and walking back. She began holding out her arms, as if trying to feel around in the dark. Logen thought her behavior was getting stranger by the second when she stopped near a tree and began reaching up with her arms, as if she were trying to touch the sky, then she began jumping.

"It's so faint, I don't know where it is exactly." She began mumbling to herself. She reached out and touched the bark of the tree and suddenly gasped. "It's in the tree!" She squeaked excitedly.

But Logen wasn't as excited to hear the news. He looked up, and up, and up. Ildrianna followed his gaze and suddenly knew the problem and at that she slouched in near defeat.

Logen sighed and dismounted and began rolling up his sleeves.

"What are you doing?" Dria asked.

"I'm going to climb a tree. You canna very well do that in a wee dress now can you?" Logen grunted as he sprang upon the tree. Although it was tall the trunk was relatively slimenough that he could wrap his arms around it. There were a few low lying branches to help him along.

"Please be careful!" Ildrianna pleaded, folding her hands and wringing them. Ocean neighed, following the progress.

Once Logen was half way up he stopped and shouted down at Ildrianna, "How far up is it? Do you ken?"

Ildrianna danced upon the spot because she honestly didn't know. "It's in the tree!" She shouted back.

Logen settled against a branch and looked about himself, sweat beading upon his brow. He was honestly blind up here because he couldn't feel anything like Dria seemed to.

"Try using the Kiss!" Ildrianna shouted.

"What?"

"The Kiss!"

Logen looked at his left palm at the tiny little star. Turning his hand it caught the golden light of the late afternoon sun and spiraled it into another prism. He held it out in front of him, imitating much of what Dria was doing down on the forest floor. After a few moments of nothing he was surprised when he began to feel something pulling him higher into the tree. He climbed higher, following the tugging.

Nearing the top he stopped since the tug had stopped. He looked about and finally found the origin of the pull. Nestled in one of the branches was a nest. He inched closer and closer and peered within and jerked back when a hungry little chick reared up looking for its meal.

It chirped and peeped loudly, extending its slender neck up, mouth agape, demanding food. The nest was woven intricately with dried twigs and grasses, larger sticks fortifying the perimeter to make it strong.

Logen again approached the nest, ignoring the overbearing chick as he found what Dia was searching for and knew was up here. Within the nest was a piece of acorna no longer than his pinky that glistened and gleamed, ripe for the picking. He tried to reach for it on to be snapped at by the chick.

"Behave you prickly little thing!" He scolded it. Reaching for it again he used his other hand to distract the chick. It worked. Plucking the fragment from the nest his quickly pocketed it and gave the little fluffy bird another glance, this time closer.

"You looked like a baby hawk." He mused, watching the chick shriek loudly at not being fed. "'Tis strange that a wee thing such as yourself would here all by yourself."

But he got his answer when he heard an answering cry to the chick's distress. A golden hawk took a dive into the tree, immediately singling out Logen as a threat. Logen threw his hands in front of his face as he began to back up, trying his best to scramble out of the vicinity.

"Bloody hell!" He barked, climbing down faster than was safe.

"Be careful, Logen!" Ildrianna shrieked!

The bird kept attacking, flapping his wings in Logen's face as he climbed lower and lower until finally he reached near ground level where he lost his grip and fell on his back side, only then did the hawk retreat, not liking the new odds.

"Logen." Dria rushed to his side and tried to help the Scot up. His face was scratched up from the hawk's curving talons but they were superficial. She brushed away his bangs, lifting his head to rest upon her lap.

Logen tried to regained his breath, yet nothing compared to the acute pain in his lower back and rump. He lay as still as possible, eyes closed, trying not to break the spell that had Dria's fingers weaving through his locks.

"You alright?" Dria asked, leaning over Logen's face, blocking out the sun.

"Nay," He whispered, wheezing, "I canna feel m' arse." He said roughly, his brogue thickening from his pain. He cracked an eye open after he heard a peel of laughter bubble forth from between pinched lips. "Glad it amuses ye." He said wryly.

"I'm sorry, I just," She laughed again. "I didn't expect such a response."

"I'm in pain, you know." He informed her, closing his eyes again and sighing, trying to keep his mind focused upon Dria's fingers and not his lower half. After a few long moments he reached into his pocket and fetched out his prize. Securing it on his palm he offered it to Dria to inspect.

"For you, milady."

The young queen froze her ministrations and stared at the shard of horn but instead of a smile upon her face a frown formed. Gingerly she picked up the sliver, no longer than her pinky and turned it about in the sunlight. Ocean inched closer to check out the find, his eyes mimicking his mistress', his ears perked forward.

It was the point of his horn, but it was incomplete. It was sliced in half right down the middle and instead of giving Ildrianna hope her spirits actually sank lower. She had naively thought that that each broken piece would like the ones she had previously recovered but as she looked upon this one she couldn't help but think that Ocean's horn could be broken into minuscule fragments so small and seemingly insignificant that she would pass them by unnoticed.

She fisted her hand protectively around it as her forehead creased with worry, the world around her completely forgotten as her mind raced with new worries. She jerked in surprise when she felt a steady and calloused hand brush her cheek. Her eyes sprang open to find Logen's upturned face staring intently at her own, concern etched within his eyes. He slowly reached his hand higher, digging his fingers into now loosening braid, using his thumb to smooth out the wrinkles that had collected upon her forehead.

"I ken that 'tis no' what you were expectin' but you donna need to fret, it doesna suit ya." He reassured her, "You're one step closer to your goal, aren't ya?"

Dria couldn't help herself as she leaned into Logen's hand, comforted by his words and forever grateful of his steady presence within her twisted life that had become her reality. To her the line between royal an common blood had blurred a long time ago for she had accepted her lot in life now more easily than she ever thought possible. And as she tightened her grip upon the fragment an closed her eyes to seal the horn to keep it from dying she rooted herself ever deeper into the fact that she would fix what she could and let life take its course.

It was so much easier to take things in small steps. Ocean was just a first. She regarded her past with mixed feeling, something that she hadn't quite figured out and settled with, and she knew that it frustrated Logen. She wasn't withholding to keep him in the dark, not intentionally but until she could make sense of her past and repair what she could in the present only then in the future could she even begin to open that tightly closed chamber within her heart that carried with it all the pain, rage, sorrow and loss of her life before.

Shoulders sagging from fatigue of using magic she smiled weakly at Logen and thanked him for his noble service and kissed him lightly upon the forehead before ruffling up his hair and pushing him playfully from her lap.

"Och, woman, have you no mercy!" He shouted at her sudden rough handling.

* * *

This chapter has been edited.

So to clear up any confusion, because I know that 365PagesOfAwesomeness probably freaked out when I had updated twice but found only one chapter, I did that by accident.

What I uploaded was unfinished! If you did read it and got all the way to the bottom and was like, wtf? No worries, I removed it and now I'm posting the finished product. I just got all clicky happy because I was updating twice and in my addled mind I had already finished my seventh chapter because I was working on the eighth already.

So, I'M SORRY!! It won't happen again, hopefully. Hoped you enjoyed this _completed_ chapter.

Thanks again 365PagesOfAwesomeness!! You keep me inspired! And don't worry, I'll not make you wait so long for the next installment, partly why I busted out two chapters was for you as an 'I'm sorry for the wait!' Thank you for being so patient.


	8. The Golden Noose

**The Golden Noose**

* * *

"How many more do you need, old man?" Rhalluan quizzed the blacksmith. He began to pace back and forth within the enclosed confines of the forge. Whirling smoke twirled in wisps around his face, stinging his eyes and filling his nose. He had to blink more than normal to keep his body from overreacting to the caustic stimuli.

"You have not brought me a new find in months, little lordling, do not dare to mock me." A spindled hand rose up and jabbed Rhalluan in his breast plate. Although he was armored the prince could still feel the offending digit.

"I cannot construct this fabled blade unless I have all the pieces. Pieces that _you,_" The blacksmith jabbed the prince in the chest for emphasis, "Should have been able to collect long ago." His piercing miky eyes stared ardently into Rhalluan's, making the young man shiver. He felt as though he were under a looking glass with an intense light in his face, pinned to the ground by Ajax's claw like finger and searing gaze.

"I've told you, I cannot find any more Celestial acorna. The unicorns have gone into hiding. I have seen neither hoof nor tail of the insolent creatures." The Prince of Darkness explained, exasperated. He would never get his sword if Numinor's ilk remained so elusive.

"Then you cannot have your weapon." Ajax huffed, turning away from the prince. Pulling a pair of heavy woolen mitts on he went toward the furnace and opened a heavy cast iron door. A blaze of heat erupted from the opening, making the air and space around the blacksmith waver in a heated frenzied dance. The Mourner appeared unaffected by the intense incandescence, reaching with a pair of tongs he retrieved a red hot bowl that was filled with liquid steel.

"I suggest you back away before you get hurt, little lord." Ajax barked mockingly, sliding the heated bowl from the surface, using pure strength as he escorted it to a mold.

Rhalluan huffed as he stepped back. He did not know how such a skeletal figure could emit such power. He watched as the blacksmith poured the metal, not letting a drop go to waste. Once finished he set the bowl to cool and waited for the mold to settle. Ajax's face was streaked with soot and sweat, weather hardened and skin a cherry red from working so close to the furnace. The prince suspected that such work has damaged the man's eyes.

Ajax wiped his face with a dirties cloth, doing more harm than good to his complexion. His wiry brows skewed and going ever which way. He took off his cap to reveal more coarse and springy hair and stuck it in his apron pocket.

"What?" He snapped.

Rhalluan fought the urge to cuff the man across his disrespectful mouth. "What do you expect me to do?" He asked, biting the words out through clenched teeth.

"I expect you to find me more acorna." Ajax responded simply, tossing the prince an arrogant look.

"There is no more. Numinor has forbade any Celestial from coming to the mortal plane. They have abandoned their people." Rhalluan threw his hands up in frustration, expelling a gust of breath.

The prince turned on his heel when he heard the bubbling mirthful laugh erupt from Ajax's throat- the sound was a foul thing to be heard, full of mockery and contempt.

"What is so amusing to you?" Rhalluan demanded, invading the blacksmith's personal space as he towered over the diminutive looking man.

Ajax pushed aside the prince as if he were nothing, walking instead to the door that led outside his forge. He came face to face with a disgruntled Harbinger but quickly disregarded the hateful creature.

"Numinor would never abandon the people of Balinor. He would die of the shame!" Ajax laughed, venturing out into the blackness of the night with Rhalluan trailing behind him.

"Would he? I wouldn't know- the _Golden One_ never leaves his perch." Rhalluan sneered.

"Why would he? He knows he would fall by your blade." Harbinger danced on the tips of his hooves in glee. He had been listening to his rider and the crazy smith from outside. The opening for the forge was not large enough to fit his stature. But now that the scene was moving outside the shadow unicorn pranced about, agitated from the bond he shared with the prince and malicious thoughts he had against the King of Celestial unicorns.

"He indeed would die from the shame. His pride would never allow it. He is too scared for his own life to risk anything in this war." Ajax grunted as he approached a well, turning a wheel as he began heaving.

Rhalluan watched, dispassionate, as the man struggled with the simple task of drawing water from a well.

"You sound as if you know the golden beast personally." He mused.

"No. As your little brat said- why would he come down?" The smith's arms trembling as they strained against the weight of the bucket being slowly retrieved.

Harbinger nearly bit the blacksmith for his comment but thought better of it after seeing Rhalluan's face.

"Besides, Aurora would never allow the Golden One to turn his back on the world." Ajax wheezed.

"Aurora?"

"The Dreamspeaker." Ajax grunted.

Rhalluan rolled his eyes before pushing the old man out of the way and taking control of drawing the water. The bucket appeared in mere moments before he reached for it with deft movement and set it upon the rim of the stone well. Ajax mumbled under his breath before taking a metal ladle from his tool belt that slung low upon his hips and dipping it within the bucket.

"Your strength has left you, old man." Rhalluan sneered, ignoring Ajax's scathing glare. "What do you know of the Dreamspeaker?"

"Ha, you shall never have her horn- if that's what your little mind was scheming!" Ajax barked with laughter, taking another drink from the well.

"I didn't expect to have her horn. The Dreamspeak has never graced the mortal plane in her true form. She walks this world only in dreams, or so I've heard." Rhalluan drawled.

"Ah that is true. The Moon Beauty has never before walked in Balinor. Rumor has it that if she is killed in your world then the moon would go dark and dreams would disappear." Ajax sighed, dumping the rest of the bucket's contents back into the well.

"So if she were destroyed..." Rhalluan mused.

"Don't even think about it my boy- there are some things in this world that should never be tampered with." Ajax snorted. "Besides, Aurora is not naïve. She has been watching you."

Rhalluan snorted at that. Like he cared. He knew that the Dreamspeaker was a a Watcher of the World- or so the ancient texts had told. A Dreamspeaker could be born in any band of the Celestial herd. One was born when the previous was ready to pass down the craft. It was something that was innate an learned at the same time. How they did what they did remained a mystery.

"Are you insinuating that she knows of my plans and my dealings with you?"

Ajax looked the prince dead in the eye. "She might."

Harbinger rolled his crimson eyes. "And she might not."

"Just think- if only you could part the curtain that separates this world and the Celestial Plains." Ajax began, shuffling back into his lodge.

Rhalluan was struck still at his words. Part the barrier between this world and the Celestial's? Was that even possible? But the idea of it was poetic and quite romantic in the prince's mind. The big question was if it were even possible or just theoretical.

"Could this be done?" Rhalluan called after the smith, quickly catching up to him.

"Why not?" Ajax sputtered, going over to his mold and uncovering the top. The beginnings of an ax place was in the making. He let a thin ropey hand glide across the crude weapon, just short of touching the surface. It was still a bit hot. Picking it up with a pair of tongs he thrust it back within the furnace, closing the heavy cast iron door.

"Damn thing isn't hot enough..." He muttered under his breath. "Make yourself useful, boy, go grab some firewood." Ajax all but roared, going to the bellows and began to work them.

"My patience wears thin, blacksmith." Rhalluan hissed, but complied to his command. He found it easier to do such minuscule tasks to keep the conversation going. He loaded the fire place with more kindling, stacking it high with fuel.

"What are you doing, fool?" Ajax howled, dropping the handles of the bellows. He scurried towards Rhalluan and relieved him of his collection of logs. "Raise it too high and the heat will burn out just as fast, I don't want to melt the bloody thing!"

The prince stood back, again resisting the urge to physically injure the man in front of him. Nothing he ever did was good enough for the Mourner.

"Can it be done?" He asked quizzically.

The blacksmith ignored him and returned to the bellows, opening and closing the handles, feeding the flames with rich and vital oxygen, filling the staunch air with more and more smoke. Rhalluan began heaving the air became so thick and left the forge for the free air outside.

"What more has the Mourner to say?" Harbinger questioned his rider, pawing at the earth beneath his iron hooves.

"Its like trying to get blood from a stone. The man is nearly impossible." Rhalluan retorted.

"I know your fondness of riddles." The shadow unicorn sniggered, tossing his head to the side.

The Dark Prince scoffed.

He hated them.

"He is suggesting that a full scale invasion of the Celestial Valley is quite possible." Rhalluan spoke quietly after a few pregnant moments of silence- nothing but the sounds of the blacksmith tinkering could be heard in the dead of night when ever the birds and the insects had finally quieted down.

Harbinger started at that comment. "Such a thing has never been done before." Through their bond his rider could feel the disbelief of the theory. It appeared, the prince mused, that such a thought had never occurred to his mount. Interesting.

"But what if it _is_ possible?" He mused aloud.

Harbinger snorted, rearing up a bit as he felt the rising of the monster within him. He never held it back how much he enjoyed war, it made his blood sing to be in the moment. And even though his rider would never so carelessly admit it, his blood sang a siren song of ecstasy upon the battlefield. With the bond the shadow unicorn felt as though he were invincible and nothing in this world could fell him.

"Then we will lead our armies to oblivion and back, razing the Valley to the ground in a glorious burning that obscures the viewing window of the Father above."

Rhalluan smirked at the steed. "War monger." He jibed.

The stallion tossed his head before stilling. "Has he finished crafting the shackle you requested? I thought that was the entire point of this little side _quest._" his last word was dripping with disdain.

"I haven't asked, nor has he volunteered the information."

"And your precious sword is still just a figment of his mindless imaginings?" The black steed spoke in such a belittling way.

Anger spiked through Rhalluan's system white hot and lightning fast- almost burning out of control before he let a sinister smile curve his perfect lips. "You're afraid."

Harbinger felt his master's ire rise and still, a bit bewildered by the sudden change before he balked at his words. At times his prince took him on a whirlwind of negative emotions, most of which was uncontrollable and misdirected rage. But the feeling emanating from the prince now was a cool control and smug sense of mastery. The shadow unicorn felt slave to the feeling as everything within Rhalluan's iron orbs seemed to belong to him.

"I am not afraid, least of all _you_." Harbinger seethed.

A hollow laugh escaped from between clinched teeth, mocking and cold.

"You are afraid. Even you can comprehend the caliber of weapon that shall soon belong to me. I can feel it in you. Every time we fail to bring down a Celestial unicorn I feel the sigh a relief that passes through you."

Harbinger arched his neck before throwing his head high and looking down upon his companion. "Yet do you comprehend the weapon you've asked to forge?" He spoke the words quietly, regally, confidently, _condescendingly_- that it made the Prince of Darkness stop all though as he pondered the question himself.

It was by all means a fair question. Rhalluan had been consumed by power, greedily seeking more and more so he could free himself of his father. The more power he obtained the safer and more assured he felt. The sword would be a blending of the powers of light and dark. Such raw energies were never supposed to exist within one conduit- the very nature of it was destructive. There was no tween between light and dark- there was no fair middle ground. The inherently good magic within a unicorn's horn was often unpredictable, spontaneously doing things that even the wielder could not fully control. It was the same for the dark acorna, though the nature and consequences of that magic was inherently evil.

Forged within a sword nothing but chaos would reign supreme.

To have such wild power at his command... What could it mean to the rest of the world? To Harbinger? To himself? Words from the distant past flooded his thoughts.

"_Never underestimate the power of balance, my son. Tipping the scales can be a deadly game with deadly consequences."_

His mother had said that to him, but they had been playing a child's game and he had made a brash move which ultimately cost him the game, summarily ending his chance of visiting the gardens later that afternoon- she made him study instead.

Pain blossomed in his chest before it was quickly smothered with rage. Those times were over and done. "I do not care what happens to this world. I want it destroyed. Nothing will stop me." He said at last, his words harsh and heavy with unspoken sorrow.

For a long moment rider and charger alike stared at one another, unblinking, never moving. Like statues from the lush gardens of the Balinor palace they just continued to peer at one another, letting their bond violently pulse between them. Finally Harbinger sighed and stepped closer, arching his head down and out, descending down on one sooty knee in an effortless and graceful dip.

"If that is what you wish, O Prince of Darkness, then I shall carry you to the end."

Surprise flitted across Rhalluan's face at the sudden declaration before it was replaced with a hard look. Though the feeling was fleeting the bond allowed the shadow unicorn to feel his unadulterated response and he was not surprised when he felt the cold indifference emanating from his master at the moment.

"I expected nothing less." With that Rhalluan ended the conversation and returned to the forge. He saw that the old blacksmith had opened a few thatched windows to air out the enclosed building. Stepping swiftly inside he about ready to start threatening the man when he found the smith at the anvil, deftly hammering away at a heated piece of iron.

Ajax began to speak.

"About time, little lord. I thought you left for good and allowed me to work in peace. But I see I was wrong." Came his growling gravely voice.

The prince had been about to retort when he was cut off. "The curtain between our worlds in an invisible one, but one that the Celestials and even the Shadow unicorns open and close at will."

Rhalluan paused. "Harbinger cannot open portals between worlds."

Ajax paused for a fraction of a moment before he rendered an incredible blowing force upon the steel before him, effectively straightening out the kink he had been meticulously working on. "No? Pity. Then what do you call turning into shadow and disappearing and all such nonsense?" The smith tossed aside his heavy hammer in exchange for a lighter more petite one and began a series of softer blows.

_What he says is true. I've never thought much about it before. When we disappear in shadow we travel between the Void, the space between two worlds._ Came Harbinger's deep voice vibrating within the confines of Rhalluan's head.

Rhalluan's eyes widened a fraction. From his peripheral he saw that Ajax was smiling devilishly. The thought had never entered his mind when he melded into shadow. Where was he going when he shifted through the shadows? All he was ever concerned with was looking back from the shadows to keep track of where he needed to go.

"Ah and it begins to dawn on him." Ajax cackled.

"But Harbinger has never left for another plane."

_I do not know the door to the Celestial Valley, just as a Celestial unicorn does not know the doorway to the Dunes. Besides- I would rather die first before I ever return._ Came his steely reply.

"Unicorns are very strange creatures that flit between time and space. Find one to open the door for you or find the Link. Either way you need a Celestial's help to open that avenue." Ajax finished in a sing song voice- delighting in tormenting his client with nearly unreachable ideas.

"The Link has been lots for centuries." Rhalluan heaved, his mind already discarding that idea. The Link had been hidden from mortal eyes for reasons unknown to himself. His history had never been his favorite study. "And I can't find a Celestial to save my life."

"Ah but don't you know where one is? Hmm?" Ajax muttered, lightly hammering before suddenly shoving the heated ax into a basin of cold water. The erupting steam and hiss drowned out all immediate sounds.

Rhalluan narrowed a glare upon the smith. He knew far more than he let on. How else could he have known that Rhalluan knew where he could find a Celestial?

"The Gap is not a trifle to mess with arbitrarily." Not to mention no one knew what was on the Other Side. For all he knew they could be dead or worse.

"I was not referring in your failure to capture the little queen." Ajax sneered, sniggering. "Do you not have a pretty princess at your disposal?"

Rhalluan preferred not to answer that question. He had been trying to coerce Estellana to summon her bonded pair to her aid but the obstinate little bitch refused to even look at him. Even with force she remained rebellious. Locked away in some cellar not too far away from where they were now- he had commissioned Ajax to create a shackle that would prevent her from escaping. The little twit had a knack for getting separated from her guards. The prince needed something to keep her in check.

"Speaking of which, where is the item?"

Ajax's face soured a bit before he set down in tools and went to his worker's table, moving around various items and in general making quite a ruckus while searching for the article.

"Ah ha! Here it is." His rattling voice rang out. Within his hands was a ratty velvet cloth that had one been fit for a queen to use. Not it was worn and torn and frayed around the edges, losing the rich downy texture. With ginger hands he proffered it to the prince for his royal examination.

"What do you think?" Ajax asked, not waiting for an answer as he returned to his anvil and almost angrily threw the raw weapon back into the flames of the furnace.

Delicately Rhalluan peeled back the velvet strips to reveal the prize within. Immediately he covered it back up and stuffed it between his tunic and the breast plate of his armor.

"Perfect." He murmured. From his waist he unstrung a pouch and tossed it towards his worker's bench where it landed with a heavy thud, the draw string ripping open as silver coins spilled forth.

"Your payment."

Ajax glanced at the table and merely nodded. "You know how it works. If there are any problem, remember to return it to me."

"Of course." He turned to leave.

"Do not worry, little lord. You will complete your sword. That is a certainty." Came the Mourning blacksmith's ominous words.

A shiver ran down the Prince of Darkness' spine when he finally exited the forge.

"Quite the charmer, isn't he?" Harbinger scoffed, ears flat against his skull.

Rhalluan didn't respond and instead vaulted upon the shadow unicorn's back, settling within the saddle with practiced ease.

"I cannot tell you ardently enough how we must return to the battalion in haste." Rhallaun spoke coldly, detached as he touched his breast plate once more, making sure that his commission was still safely secure.

Harbinger snorted and crow hopped his displeasure. "Don't insult me." He spat back, his crimson eyes glowing eerily within the night as he felt his body stretch and expand, losing its definite silhouette. His body was fading and ripping apart as he melded into shadow and disappeared into the night.

* * *

Estellana scowled as an armored guard unlocked the door to her new prison. In his hand was a tray laden with rationed food, something the troops would eat. To her it looked absolutely foul and even though her stomach growled incessantly to consume the provisions she simply refused.

The last food she had eaten had been laced with a narcotic to put her out of her mind, make her paranoid and sorrowful. Because of the paranoia she came to the conclusion that someone was adulterating her food and thus began her hunger strike. She had lasted for nearly a week, from what she could tell from the passage of time before the Prince of Darkness himself entered her then gilded cage with a tray in his hands laden with food.

"You must eat." He had said, his voice stating a mere fact.

Estellana sat curled in the window seat propped up by pillows with a satin blanket wrapped around her torso gazing out from the magically sealed window with glazed eyes. She had not reacted to his presence.

"At the very least you must drink." He strode confidently to the vanity and set the tray down with great gentility. Picking up a pewter pitcher he procured a crystal goblet and poured the princess a glass of fresh water. Setting the pitcher down he crossed the space between himself and the princess and kindly offered her the glass.

Estellana remained blank as she continued to stare out the window.

"I must apologize, fair princess, for your treatment as of late." Rhalluan spoke softly, smirking a bit as he saw Estellana shiver and her face twist into anguish. She finally turned her head and met his gaze where he nearly gasped.

Estellana had corn yellow hair that hung around her face in straight sheets but it was her eyes, the color of the sea, eyes that were so much like her older sister's that made him take a step back. She had that same heart shaped face, those same defiant and vibrant eyes, the same tilt to her rosy lips and the decadent Cupid's bow. In Estellana's place he only saw Ildrianna.

"I'm no longer a princess thanks to you!" Estellana bit out cruelly as she bore her teeth menacingly at the prince.

Rhalluan blinked before he suddenly straightened, still offering the goblet to the young girl. Her voice was nothing like Ildrianna's. Estellana's was high like a soprano and piercing while the new queen had a lilting melodious voice, each word was beautiful to be heard. How could he have mistaken her for the other?

"Yes, well you can also thank your forefathers for that as well." Rhalluan sneered ruefully.

To his surprise the girl growled at him.

"Well aren't you the little spit fire? You won't last long, however, if you do not drink." He again offered her the drink.

Her oceanic eyes narrowed suspiciously as she eyed the cup. "I'm not drinking anything, least of all from your own hand."

Rhalluan rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Your drink and food are not corrupt."

At that the princess laughed, the sound chocked and dry, her lips brittle and chapped as they stretched back over her pearly teeth. "I'm not stupid."

Rhalluan took a calming breath. "Indeed." And to prove that the water was indeed _not_ contaminated he raised the goblet to his own pale lips before taking a drink himself. Estellana watched him with wary features and visibly frowned when he again offered her a drink.

"You think that I would drink it now? After you've defiled it?" She hissed, arching an arrogant blond brow.

The prince's anger flared as he instantly reacted- throwing the priceless glass aside he grabbed the princess by the throat just under her jawline and pushed her back aggressively to the wall behind her. A shrill cry left her before she was cut short and silenced as the dark prince snarled in her face, dark eyes opaque and hauntingly frightening as his perfect features twisted demoniacally.

Her large eyes widened and became luminous and glassy as they resisted the urge to cry, etched deeply with fear. She held her breath, her hands having automatically wrapped around Rhalluan's wrist and forearm to try to stave off the pressure but to no avail. Her chest began to heave as it struggled to gasp for air, putting strain on her clamped windpipe. She remained frozen in horror.

Rhalluan stilled with her after his initial outburst. He was painfully aware of her fingernails clawing into his skin but sought to ignore it and instead concentrated upon her face. She was so weak and so frail, her body failing her even though her burning spirit did not. At times a warrior's spirit was not always born in a warrior's body. In her eyes he again saw the run away queen that had escaped him and it was that face that made him grimace and loosen his death grip upon the sister.

Estellana immediately gasped for air and wilted, her body collapsing. The only thing that was keeping her steady was the now loving caress of the dark prince's calloused hand, his thumb rubbing her jawline tenderly. She cringed under his attentions.

"You and your sister are so different." He mused quietly, saying it more to himself than to the trembling girl in front of him, but she heard him all the same.

"You mean the one you didn't catch?" She whispered, more because her throat was intolerably abused than to be quiet in any way.

His caressing touch ceased for a long moment before it resumed. "Do you have any other sisters that I should know about?"

Estellana was appalled, was he jesting with her? She felt his hand clutch her chin and forced her to look at him. When she looked into his eyes she glared, blinking many times to fight back tears. How she missed her sister.

"No." She answered.

They continued to stare at one another.

"You're a far cry from what I remember, Rhal." She finally said, eliciting an angry hiss from between his teeth as he shoved her away and stood up. She watched him, sea foam eyes haunting. She finally noticed that he only wore a tunic and a pair of pants and thick boots, no armor to be seen.

_So you don't think me a threat, _she thought menacingly, _turn your back on me, will you? _

From beneath her pile of plush pillows was a sterling silver knife her attendants had foolishly given her in one of her meals. She had quickly took the utensil without their knowing and had it near her at all times, biding her time for an opportunity.

_Your mistake._

Silently she stepped out from her blanketed cocoon and gingerly placed her feet upon the marbled floor, butter knife in hand. She knew she couldn't cause him any real harm, but she could harm him none-the-less, the moment couldn't be left to waste. She quietly padded across the floor, slowly, as she watched him intensely.

He was pouring her another glass of crystal clear water, back turned to her, showing her that she was no threat. She would correct that mistake, even as her throat begged her to sooth it with the life giving liquid.

Just a bit closer- she raised her hand, brandishing the knife, unknowingly letting the weak light reflect upon the shining surface.

It was that that caught the prince's attention. He looked up as he set the pitcher down, watching her creep up on him from a large ornate gold framed mirror that hung on the adjoining wall across the room.

He smiled ironically. She was not aware of her surrounding environment and that was her downfall.

Just as she was about to plunge her weapon into his back Rhalluan stepped to the side and tripped the girl behind him, causing her to pitch forward as she lost her balance and slammed her head against the edge of the heavy wood vanity. He snaked a hand out and caught her arms and pulled her into a vice-like embrace, crossing her arms across her chest, guiding her hand that remarkably still held her weapon to rest threateningly against her throat.

It all happened so fast that Estellana couldn't comprehend how she ended up in the bastard's arms with the knife pointed at _her_ throat and not his. She had seen stars and almost blacked out from the lancing pain that raced through her head. She could feel something slick slide down her face- she cried out and tried to move when her head was suddenly ripped back and her throat mortally exposed.

Rhalluan adjusted his grip upon the girl as he held her captive with one arm clamping her arms to her chest and the other had clawed into her hair, wrenching her head back- exuding complete control over her form.

"Will you behave?" He asked in a deep timber, his lips brushing the shell of her ear causing her to flinch and try to spring away. He instantly crushed her to his chest and hissed a warning that had her still immediately.

"Do not make me ask again." He bit out harshly.

Her entire body shivered as she whimpered and nodded, careful of her movements because of the proximity of the knife resting none too gently upon her flesh.

"No more foolishness?" He went on, breathing in her fear as if he were feeding off it.

She shook her head.

They remained silent for a moment as he listened to the girl's erratic breaths and even faster heartbeat.

"Good," And he summarily released her, stealing the knife from her weak fingers as she dropped like a doe to the floor at his feet.

"Your food is getting cold, _princess._" She heard, following with her ears the sounds of his boots walking towards the door. "Jyaeles!" He barked and she flinched inadvertently, she clutched the weeping wound at her temple. "Fetch the medic. He is needed immediately."

She could hear the retreating foot falls as the servant carried out the order quickly and without question.

Estellana slumped to the floor and curled up into the fetal position, clutching her head close to her body as she began to sob quietly.

"Is the lady alright?" Asked one of her bodyguards, she recognized the voice that was generously laced with concern.

Rhalluan looked back at the girl and let a wicked smile stretch across his unforgiving mouth, he had done what he needed to- he had to break the little dame if he was ever going to get what he wanted from the girl.

"She's fine. She's just having trouble accepting her own insignificance. Daeroc," Rhalluan paused as he surveyed the guard. "If you want to keep your post learn to keep your eyes straight ahead." Rhalluan said dangerously.

Daeroc straightened to attention. "Yes, sir."

"The good doctor, I presume? The girl needs to be patched up, see to it that she gets all the care that she requires." The prince said darkly.

"Yes, my lord."

Estellana jerked her head up as she tried to push herself off the floor, anger filling her body as she heard the arrogance emanating from the shell of a boy she once knew.

"You're a monster, Rhal!" She shouted. "A monster!" She shrieked.

Rhalluan glanced at the girl before closing the door, not a trace of pity or remorse within those vacant orbs. "That's quite enough of that."

* * *

Estellana wanted to laugh as she saw the Prince of Darkness, the bane of her existence, the scourge of Balinor kneel before her on one armored knee and a look of genuine concern etched in his features.

"How are you tonight, my dear?" He asked sweetly.

She looked away from him, his velvety voice though sweet left a foul taste in her mouth.

"Still not speaking to anyone, are you?" He went on.

She looked better than the last time he had seen her. Her cheeks were not as sullen and she no longer looked quite so wiry, but her pallor still did not return. Her once golden kissed skin looks thin and translucent from being shut away. Her golden hair looked drab and lifeless, as it too had seen a ghost. But what startled him the most were the deep circles of purple that rung the bottom of her eyes. She had not been sleeping well and she looked utterly exhausted.

Though she was poking at her food and drinking sips of water she refused to speak with anyone who approached her. It had been weeks since anyone had heard her voice.

"My guards tell me that you tried to escape recently. That just won't do." Rhalluan continued, looking at the chains around the girl's feet that were wrapped around a pillar that was supporting the ceiling of the dank and moldy cellar. Many torches had been lit to illuminate the windowless cavern that was filled with boxes of drink and stored meats. It was a place not fit for a pig let alone a royal.

A key suddenly appeared in his hand as he began to unshackle both ankles, relieving the gnawing pain that had been her companion for the last several days since her attempted escape.

She was wary and she was very cautious.

The clasps sprang open as he tossed them aside along with the heavy chain. With practiced hands he took one slippered foot in his hand and began to massage the her ankle.

How her battered body betrayed her- she thought repulsively as her body relaxed against the soothing touch. How she hated him even more for it. She watched disgusted as he set down one dainty foot and picked up another.

"Another province has fallen." He informed her.

When he heard nothing he glanced up at her to view her face but it was schooled into a blank stare.

"The resistance will be weeded out and squashed sooner or later."

He saw her lips twitch and nearly chuckled himself. Estellana caught it and wanted to kick him for his jibes but she thought better of it.

"You are a fortress, Estel." He reverted back to her pet name and her eyes turned to him with a heated glare.

His face stretched into a strained smile as he reached within his tunic. "I've brought you something. A gift, if you will."

_I don't want your gifts!_ Her thoughts were laced with venom as she thought them. She would rather die than accept it.

From his tunic he produced a tattered rag, which immediately repulsed her. He began to unwrap it to reveal two rings of pure gold embedded with dark glossy stones all around the sides. One appeared to be a torque while the other looked more like a head circlet.

She couldn't believe it, he was giving her jewelry?

She watched him stretch out the torque a bit and leaned in towards her to place it around her neck. At first she didn't resist, as soon as he put it on her she was going to rip it away from her. He had to be mad to believe that she would actually humor him.

He reach around and caught her mass of hair and gently pushed it away as he slid the cool metal around her neck. Almost immediately she jerked away as if she were burned. What was happening to her? The sudden pain was excruciating!

"Thinking of reneging my gift?" Came Rhalluan's mirthless voice.

All he could hear was her silent cries as her mouth gaped open in pain as she clawed at the torque, she could feel her fingertips burning. It was as if a white hot piece of metal were wrapped around her throat consuming her in an uncontrollable inferno. The more sh resisted the more pair she could feel as it began to radiate down from her neck to her collar bone and shoulders, going further down into her chest. A smothered howl clawed its way past her throat, her body began to writhe, her eyes began to see fringing blackness.

Rhalluan grabbed her chin within one firm hand and shouted in her ear to get her attention. "Cease thinking of escaping and removing my gift and your pain will stop!"

And to confirm that she heard him she shut her eyes and went rigidly still, holding her breath until suddenly she began to gasp for air. It took several long moments for her to regain her senses but as he had said as soon as she stopped thinking of the torque it almost instantly stopped causing her pain.

While she was still recovering from the brutality of her knew shackle Rhalluan quickly placed the gold circlet on the crown of her head, completing her new bindings. He released her and got to his feet, looking down on her with imperious eyes. Watching her as she lifted her hands to gently touch and feel the torque around her neck and then finally traveling up her head to feel the plain band of a tiara. Her expression crumbled once again into pain as she touched the metal that crossed the breadth of her forehead and was buried in the roots of her head.

Large doe like eyes stared up at him in abject fear and horror, "What have you done to me?" She asked, her voice wavering and pathetic and had it been any other man who she had uttered those forlorn words to his heart would have broke.

But Rhalluan was not that man, even as he felt a spasm in his chest.

"What was needed to be done." He spoke evenly. He paced away from her before turning back. "If you try to remove the torque then the circlet will tighten and kill you. If you try to remove the circlet then the torque will tighten and kill you. Thoughts of removing either one will result in pain, as you have experienced earlier."

He paused thoughtfully.

"Inlaid in each piece are shards of dark acorna, the magic links you to me. At any given time, whether I am near you or not all I have to say are a few simple words to end your life, princess."

The dark prince moved to exit the cellar then turned back to her, "Even if you _do_ escape you won't get far." He all but laughed the last part as he left, barking orders to have her removed and relocated at once.

A guard came to her side instantly and in her stricken daze she realized it was Daeroc, a man who sympathized with her plight. She had been orchestrating a plan to escape with him as her aid but that was impossible now. As Rhalluan had said- she couldn't get far. As soon as he heard word of her escape he would kill her or worse- use her.

If they were linked through magic because of these- she winced- gifts then he would be able to sense where she was at all times.

It was hopeless. Completely hopeless.

_Emera!_ She thought desperately, _Where are you?!_

Daeroc gently led her outside to his mount, a shadow unicorn, and helped her mount. Her moves were automatic and mechanical, as if she wasn't really there. He genuinely worried for her health. His lord's harsh and paradoxical kindness to her was slowly killing her. She couldn't handle his volatile treatment.

As Daeroc hopped in the saddle behind her she suddenly caught site of Rhalluan and his wretched beast Harbinger.

"You're a monster!" She cried out, before she was shook by Daeroc's hand to be silenced.

Rhalluan mounted Harbinger and turned the shadow unicorn about, giving Estellana a sinister smile before shouting orders to move out.

* * *

This chapter is edited.

So I know I took longer on busting out this chapter and I apologize. I hope you enjoy it. Its kinda darker than my last one. This chapter- though took me longer to write- was a lot easier to get done.

Again sorry for the wait.

I would like to thank Perinne, Lady Akyrial, 365 PagesOfAwesomeness for reviewing!

Also I've posted two new links on my profile and the completed drawing of Rhal and Har and a speed painting of Emera. Please enjoy- any feed back would be appreciated in a private message if you feel compelled!

Thanks again!

Chapter nine is in the works, promise!

BVR


	9. Dead Loch

**Dead Lock**

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

"That's men's work, Dria!" Artair admonished the queen as he took away her mucking tool that was used to shovel horse manure. He was aghast at the very sight of her doing manual labor such as this, no matter how efficient she was.

Dria blinked. "Then what do you want me to do?" She asked courteously.

Honestly he had taken away her hoof pick, brushes, combs and all manner of items away from her that had anything to do with being outside. She _liked_ to be outside. She didn't mind being in the sun or feeling the sweat on her brow. She felt more accomplished when she was outside.

She shuddered at her recent memories of performing chores inside.

"Nessa needs some help in the kitchen, why donna you go in?" He suggested nervously. Anything to keep her inside- what if her clan were to show up and find her laboring out in the open like this? Like some sort of serf? It would be the death of him. It was simply unacceptable.

Dria's eyes widened as she clasped her hands together. "Oh please don't make me go back in, please! I will only cause trouble!" She pleaded.

She already made a mess of breakfast and delayed lunch. Finally at her wit's end Nessa shooed her out of her kitchen, much to Sheena's and Rosslyn's laughter and amusement and to Ildrianna's humiliation. She was completely useless at being domestic.

Artair's brows disappeared into his hairline as he saw her plead with him, adding more discomfort.

"I canna allow you to work out here." He said simply.

"But I know plenty about taking care of un- I mean horses," Her tongue tripped over the word.

"I can see that but the principle-" He began.

"I will work very hard. Please! Nessa will be angry with me if I return to her kitchen. They only just caught the chicken." She rambled, panicked. She could just imagine the look upon Nessa's face is she found Dria back in her domain causing more chaos.

"Chicken?" He repeated bewildered.

Dria grimaced. She was asked to catch a chicken, kill it, and pluck the feathers. 'A simple task,' Nessa had said. She remembered what a disaster that had been.

"Come off it da, you heard the ruckus, ma has banished her." Came Logen's two cents for the conversation as he carried in a load of fresh cut hay to be stored in the adjoining barn. He quickly disappeared into the cool darkness.

Dria nodded vigorously. "It's true- she did."

Artair sighed and brought his handkerchief to his face and mopped up the sweat. He looked at the stall she had been cleaning and scowled. She was as good as any stable boy and like it or not he appreciated the help and he knew that the lady didn't want to stew away inside by herself not doing something.

"Alright, lass. You win." He couldn't help but smile when he saw her face break with unbridled joy. "I want the stalls cleaned mucked out and fresh bedding laid. After than I want this aisle straightened up."

"Yes, sir!" She piped; grabbing her tool back from his hands and returned to work.

Artair turned to leave her to her business. He had to remember to ask what had happened between Nessa and the girl. The story sounded interesting to say the least. He walked to the hay barn where Logen was emerging.

"Lad, keep an eye on her so she does no' over do it."

"Aye, da." Logen agreed, mirth filling his eyes as he heard Dria banging around within the barn. "You canna deny her, can ya da?"

Artair scowled, "Hn."

Logen erupted in laughter.

Dria finished the stall she was working before going on to the next. Most of the horses had been turned out to pasture for the remainder of spring. Only a few were still being boarded within the barn for further training and breaking. Ocean was among the lucky ones to graze.

She threw everything she had into what she was doing to make up for the disastrous morning.

Nessa had woken her up and deemed her worthy of helping out around the manor, which Dria readily agreed. The first task she was given was helping the other girls is cleaning up around the general space. 'Straightening out' as Nessa had said it.

Never in her life had Dria ever really did any cleaning. She had seen her servants and attendants do it all the time and occasionally she would pick up after herself but that was about it. Picking up trews, shoes, books and the like was easy- finding their rightful places was not.

The laundry was collected and stored into baskets to be washed later- something that Rosslyn had to help her out with. The books often walked out by themselves- or so Nessa had chuckled. She was asked to put them back into the library after Dria had volunteered. She had gathered all the books and was shown the library, which had been alphabetized. Dria thought the task was simple enough: place the books back on their prospective shelves.

But she ran into a problem. All the books were written in Gaelic, Latin or Greek. For several long moments she stared at several bindings. Sheena, wondering what was taking so long came to check on her and sighed in exasperation.

"I thought you said you were learned." She drawled.

Dria's bottom lip puckered at the slight. "I am but…"

Sheena smiled apologetically before performing the menial task herself.

Two simple things to be done and yet Dria felt as though she couldn't do anything. Instead she was told to sweep up the kitchen. That was something she could do. When Nessa had announced she needed some help with breakfast. She was asked to fetch some water from the well.

Dria had skipped all the way there until she realized she didn't know how. She looked at the various ropes and pulleys. She knew she had to pull one of them to get the thing working. After much debate and fussing she suddenly found herself shouting for help as the pulley system broke and fell into the dark waters below.

Logen came to her rescue, saying that this happened quite often and that they needed to get it fixed sooner or later.

She was asked to fetch some eggs from the coop. Having also never done that before in her life the entire experience had been quite traumatic.

Safe to say that breakfast was leaner than usual. Dria kept her face hidden behind her hair to hide her embarrassment.

When Nessa wanted to prepare a bit for lunch she told Dria to 'fetch a chicken'.

For half an hour Dria had been chasing chickens to catch for lunch. The deplorable little things were incredible fast and when she did get a hold on one it would flap its wings and screech in displeasure. Feathers would fly everywhere and Dria had been so surprised by the reaction that she would drop it and it would scurry off in a fury.

When she finally did get her hands on one and brought it with her to the kitchen Nessa wanted to have it killed for lunch. Dria's eyes widened and without knowing she loosened her grip and the chicken chase within the manor was the sole occupation of Nessa, Sheena, Rosslyn and Dria. While they were chasing the irate bird everything in the oven had burned, letting a smoke fill the manor.

Logen's mother, after much cursing and reverting back to Gaelic as she shouted to her girls to help her with the kitchen fire approached Dria and asked her to please go check on Ocean and the boys.

It was her way of saying get out.

Dria felt completely awful- so when she couldn't find either the men or her bonded unicorn she threw herself in what she knew- the stables. That was when Artair had found her and confronted her about her work in his barn.

Her insistence on what she was doing was to make up for her lack of domestic skills within the MacAlister household. She felt ashamed. Any other person could do all those things and more but she was utterly useless. What good was knowing how nobles were placed around a dining table or knowing how to correctly curtsy or balancing a book on her head for good posture- what good did that do her here? She had never before felt so disconnected before to the world around her.

Before she knew it she had finished mucking out the stalls and laid down fresh bedding. As she began to straighten out the aisle Logen appeared in the doorway and called for her for lunch.

_Great,_ she thought dejectedly, _how am I going to face Nessa?_

Reluctantly she trudged back to the manor with Logen bombarding her with questions on why she was so somber as he put it. She hadn't wanted to talk about it. Her ego had taken a good enough beating as it was. They all sat down at the table where another rather lean meal was prepared.

Dria tried her best to avoid all eye contact.

Logen remained quiet, not inquiring why the sudden rationing at mealtime. He suspected it had something to do with the suddenly quiet and shy noble woman sitting directly across from him. He couldn't help but smirk as she overtly let her hair become a curtain between herself and his mother who was trying her best to be calm.

"Where is your da, Logen?" She suddenly asked.

"He was right behind me, ma."

"Course he was," she huffed, "'Tis why he's curiously absent now."

"I can go look for him-" Dria shot up in her seat, desperately trying to make it up to Nessa.

"Absolutely not!" Nessa said instantly, and then suddenly relaxed her tone. "We canna be havin' a bonny lass gallivantin' o'er the highlands." She spoke apologetically yet firmly.

Dria sat back down and bowed her head, her cheeks stained pink. No doubt the older woman thought she would get lost and never come back or worse, not that she had showed the woman much confidence.

"I'll just go an' see what's takin' the man so long." Nessa spoke demurely as she excused herself from the table but was stopped short when her husband in question tramped through the door. "What took ye so long?" She groused.

Artair sat down at the head of the table and eyed the sparsely laden table and gave a meaningful look at his wife. He watched a touch amused as his wife's cheeks flushed before she sat herself back down and began to huff about flighty chickens and obtrusive helpers. He then peered to the young lady sitting next to him across his son as she huddled within herself and pushed her food around her plate.

"I'm surprised, lass, that you are not inhalin' your food." He began, starting on his meal as well.

Dria looked up at him questioningly, cerulean eyes wide.

"The stables look remarkable." He drolled on.

At hearing that Dria quickly glanced at Nessa and then ducked her head in embarrassment at the mother's scowl and the pealing giggles of her daughters.

Artair burst out laughing. He had to know how the story went.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Days had gone by since that alarmingly embarrassing lunch had taken place and Dria was grateful that it was receding further and further into the past.

"Why send you here alone?" Logen asked as he directed Calwel down a steep and rocky path. His da had allowed both he and Dria the afternoon for a ride to stretch Ocean's legs. The beast had been hugging the crudely constructed stone fences constantly watching his lady move about the MacAlister grounds. At some points he vaulted the obstruction and shadowed his mistress through out her day.

The entire scene was endearing but made things twice as slow work-wise.

When Ocean had begun to overtly get in the way of things Artair suggested they go for a ride. Dria took little convincing to agree as she gathered up her frock and leapt up upon the indigo's back and beamed expectantly at Logen. Artair would never let a lady go unescorted and barked at his son to accompany her.

Logen was swift to obey and was all too willing to go for a ride.

"It couldn't be helped." Dria supplied as she leaned a bit to the side to counter balance Ocean's center of gravity to give him more stability as he worked his way down the steep incline. His blue ears were perked forward and his entire concentration was focused on his treacherous environment.

"Yes but to send such a fine noblewoman to a land she has clearly never been alone and without guard- 'tis absurd." Logen griped, looking down as Calwel slipped a bit. He pulled the reins sharply up, tugging harshly at the bit to get the chestnut's head up and help regain his balance.

The trick worked and Calwel shook his head as he regained his balance. "Good boy," Logen crooned softly as he patted the horse's withers. He wished he had a saddle beneath him and not bare back. Calwel's sides were slicked with sweat from their trek and the blazing sun that had suddenly made itself known to the world.

In Scotland the clime was more often overcast and drizzly, the shy sun never showed her face, but today was different. He suddenly was grateful in their change of course when he suggested they visit a loch instead.

"I wasn't alone in my escape. I told you-"

"I heard. You were surrounded by unicorns." He finished for her.

"Not just any kind of unicorns, but Celestials." She huffed, leaning back to prevent Ocean from tipping forward.

Logen nodded. Dria had explained to him that there were different castes of unicorns. He had found it a bit difficult to believe. A unicorn was a unicorn to him and a part of his mind was always trying to explain away that they were still just a children's fancy. He had dreamt of them yes but the human mind was forever rationalizing inexplicable things. Unicorns fell under that category.

"I don't understand why you find it hard to grasp. There are different classes of people."

He was trying to understand how she came to this place but she remained elusive on the particular subject. He had an idea it was because of him that she wasn't so forth coming.

"Where are we going again?" She asked; they finally made it down the hill and onto level ground once more. Ocean pranced beneath her, his flanks and chest slick with sweat but he seemed exhilarated by the challenge presented to him. Calwel, on the other hand, seemed more than a little put out that he was chosen to go at all.

"There is a nice loch not too far from here thats on a mesa. My brothers and sisters and I used to swim all the time."

Dria nodded and she retreated within herself for a moment before she blurted, "How old are your sisters?"

Logen thought for a moment. "Sheena is fourteen and Rosslyn fifteen winters." He shook his head. "Rosslyn is considered of marryin' age." He frowned at that. His sister was smart for a woman. She constantly read books. He worried for her future in the wilds of the highlands where learned women were rare for a reason.

"My sister is sixteen." Dria sighed sadly.

Logen looked sharply at his companion. She had never really mentioned her family. Of course he knew she must have had some type of family but he was surprised she was volunteering the information.

"You're the eldest?" He assumed.

She nodded, obviously lost in thought.

"She must have been like you." He went on.

Dria laughed aloud. "No, no. She's nothing like me. Honestly we couldn't be any more different." She wiped a bit of hair from her face that clung to her damp forehead. The humidity was much higher today.

"Did you both get along?"

"Yes and no. We're siblings, there is only so much sisterly love that could pass between us." Dria smiled but then her face turned sad and wistful. "If she is fire then I am the breeze. If she's sunshine then I am dew."

Logen watched her as she created her analogy. It sounded like they shared nothing but bloodlines. "She sounds like a lot of energy."

"She is. She's argumentative and stubborn and she's constantly moving. You could never pin her down." Estel never got in as much trouble as Dria had when she would suddenly disappear from her studies, guards, or responsibilities. She wasn't going to be the next queen. She wasn't going to have an entire kingdom resting upon her shoulders.

"What does she look like?" Logen caught himself curious to know.

"We have the same eyes but she has straight gold hair and a paler complexion. She looks more like my mother." She tried to swallow as her throat constricted over the mentioning of her mother. Emotion overwhelmed her. "She is the most obstinate creature you will ever meet in your entire life!" She finished, pushing painful memories aside as she remembered all the antics her sister pulled on her.

Logen chuckled. "Sounds a bit like Sheena. I don't see her ever getting a lad's attention." Beauty only did so much, it was personality that cinched it for him, something Sheena had in spades. "How about you? How old are you?" He knew it was rude but he was curious to know.

To his surprise she gave him an indulging look. "You have to tell too. I'm nineteen."

Logen's brows reached to his hairline. She should have been married by now and having wee bairn. His expression must have said as much. "Am I too old here?" She asked a little taken aback.

"Of course not." He said quickly. Then she launched a series of questions on the customs here and by the end of it all Logen was sweating more and more and it was not because of the sun.

The girl had the audacity to cross her arms across her chest and gave him her most royal imperious stare before stating loftily, "You seem to be older than me and yet I don't see a lady on your arm."

Logen scowled at her. When she acted all high and mighty he was again reminded that she was indeed of noble blood and that he was foolish to forget it. He didn't much like the jibe she was implying. "I am capable of getting a woman." He responded roughly, he had seen plenty of them and had bedded more than a few when he went into Inverness.

Dria's expression spoke the question 'why'.

"My da needs me too much for me to be entertaining thoughts of catching a lass." He said sourly. Her expression immediately turned apologetic. There was a moment's silence before he spoke again. "I'm a score and two."

After a bit of frowning Logen explained that a score was about twenty years. She nodded.

Logen looked at Dria's thoughtful expression when suddenly a biting question was on the tip of his tongue, begging to be inquired. "Are you betrothed?" He couldn't help but ask.

A blush would have flooded her cheeks, but the question brought a darker look on her face. Logen saw it and immediately wished he hadn't opened his mouth. He berated himself. Obviously it was a sore subject. Mayhap something happened and her betrothed had died. It was a common thing here. Or mayhap her family didn't approve or perhaps she was far beyond his reach and they could never be reunited.

"I was once." _When it was clear I would not longer be in line with the crown,_ she thought bitterly. The birth of her little brother had changed all that and suddenly she was a bargaining chip for her parents to prevent an all out war between Balinor and Vurinada. Dria still felt the sting of betrayal towards her parents when they told her she would no longer be groomed to be queen but to be the wife of King Oorlin's son.

The thought wasn't completely horrifying as it was now as it had been then.

"Och, lass. I did not mean to pry." Logen spoke softly.

Dria shook her head. "It's not prying. It was an arranged marriage that I didn't want any part of." She pursed her lips in dissatisfaction. "I wouldn't have minded it so much then but I do now." He had taken so much from her. What more could he take?

"'Tis he a bastard?" If she wanted to vent he would let her. He wanted to hear about the man she would have married.

"He is the worst of devils." She all but snarled.

Logen snorted. He sounded like a real arse if Dria's reaction was anything to go by. And by her tone she no longer wanted to speak about it. It was fine by him. The man sounded like he had done wrong against her and she had yet to forgive him. They rode for a long time in relative silence but it was not awkward or oppressive.

After a while Logen began to feel one of his palms began to cramp, in fact, he thought about it for a moment, it was the one with the Kiss etched on it. At times he forgot he had it and at others he was acutely aware of it, such as now. He wondered what it meant. The aching was getting more and more prominent and he pulled Calwel up short.

"Is this it?" Dria asked.

Logen looked up and around as Dria inched her mount closer to the loch that they found themselves by. It was one of the markers that told him that they were closer now but this was not the swimming pool he had wanted to show her. This little loch was covered in algae and muddy, not the ideal setting for a swim at all. She must have thought him depraved if he wanted to bring her here. He told her as much.

"I don't know, this place looks fine to me." She said off handedly. What was the problem with it?

"It's contaminated." He informed her as he began to massage his twinging palm.

Dria's brow wrinkled in consternation. They must have a different meaning to the word because the pond was anything but. It was rather breath taking. It had clean water and she could see to the bottom and it smelled fresh. She suspected it tasted quite sweet as well.

"If you say so." She responded half heartedly.

Logen sighed, just what was that supposed to mean. He urged his mount closer and sat shocked, he literally could be knocked over with a feather. Either he had led them completely off course or this was indeed the same ruddy little loch he remembered. It was as if the waters had been purified. He began to focus upon the scenery around the loch. The vegetation surrounding the waters was lush and a deep green of rapid and healthy growth. Flowers clustered around, vying for attention in various colors. The surrounding trees looked far more healthier than the trees who's roots had not tapped the water system the loch had to offer. The air was alive with the buzz and whir of insects going about their day.

The entire place seemed more _alive._

His eyes returned to the water. The surface almost seemed to glow, beckoning and inviting any and everybody near.

"It's never been like this before." He murmured.

Dria shrugged. "This isn't the place you meant right? Is the loch as beautiful as this?"

Logen thought about it. The loch he had in mind was much bigger but was not the beauty that had suddenly became this little pond. He told her as much.

Her face was all smiles as she beamed at him, a trickle of sweat rolling down her forehead and disappeared down her neck. She looked more than willing to stop. He was literally dragging her all over creation.

"If you wish it then we can stay here." He was cut off by her fit of jubilant joy as she began to undo the laces of her bodice. Logen's eyes widened and he looked away, his mouth going suddenly dry. He absently rubbed this now throbbing hand to try to distill the pain that was now radiating up.

He heard her throw her frock, socks and shoes in a heap near the pond's edge and the sudden roar of splashing. Logen snapped to attention as he saw Ocean chest deep in water with his rider standing gracelessly upon his back trying to balance. She was down to her white cotton underwear, attempting to use Ocean as her spring board to jump into the inviting waters.

Dria was tallying the differences and similarities between her world and this one. One of the big differences was that there were no unicorns yet they were known and that there was a startling absence of magic. Then it went down to smaller more subtle details that made this world charming and sometimes aggravating. Like the accents of the MacAlisters or how Logen took offense of her language the first time they met. One thing that annoyed her to no end was when Nessa would speak to her daughters in Gaelic when Dria was present, keeping her excluded from the conversation. It was rude and nerve grating. Dria was constantly worrying with what Nessa thought of her. There were also differences between foods and styles of clothing and roads and some animals.

But then there were some strange coincidences too.

Books were the same, nothing had changed them. So were the basic eating utensils. They had the same kinds of beds, fireplaces, rugs and furnishing. The only differences being that the MacAlisters were more homely than what she was used to. They had the same sun, the same stars- though in different patterns across the same sky. And they had the same moon. The moon was something Dria had difficulty looking at in this world and she often tried to avoid it.

But another thing she found striking was that they had the same idea of undergarments just like in Balinor. Her bottoms were made of sturdy white cotton that bunched at her knee, delicate strings tied securely to make sure they didn't shift too much. They bottoms came just under her waist and was again tied securely around her waist and connected to her top which was also a sturdy white cotton. It was puffy and multi layered and wrapped comfortingly around her chest. It was like wearing another shirt, again the short sleeves tied around her arms.

Dria wasn't shy about letting them show, they covered much more skin than her garments in Balinor. She always envied men. They didn't have to put up with frocks and corsets or hose and guarders and any other forms of feminine tortures that women had to all for the sake of fashion.

She perched precariously on top of Ocean before grinningly playfully at Logen and launching herself into the air. The water felt great; crisp and cool.

Logen watched unamused. "I sometimes wonder 'bout your claim of being of noble blood. You certainly donna act the part." At Dria's scowl he smirked.

"You have no idea how liberating it is to be able to do what you want without worrying about offending someone's sense of propriety, or being on constant alert because _someone important_ could be watching. Being a fine lady is hard work, Scotsman." Dria tossed her head in an arrogant manner, sloshing water about her as she swam deftly towards Ocean's side.

"Oh I'm sure 'tis _very_ odious." He mocked, chuckling. He began to take off his own boots and linen shirt.

"To the extreme." She pipped, hoisting herself up on Ocean's back, preparing to flop back into the water. Logen tried to not notice how her clothing clung to her.

"I didn't know you could swim."

Dria jumped back into the water, forming a sloppy cannon ball. When she resurfaced she sputtered and flailed. Ocean was quick to aid her.

"I take it back." Logen laughed.

Dria propped herself up on Ocean's back, her legs still dangling in the water. "I'm not the best. You would have to confront Estel about that. She's the one that could swim circles around me. But I can get by."

Logen coaxed Calwel to join Ocean in the water, the water quickly climbing up his toes, ankles, then calves. The more he took himself deeper into the pond he winced as something lanced through his body. He tried to ignore it but Dria immediately noticed and narrowed her turquoise eyes upon him.

"Your Kiss is reacting to something." She told him. "Don't fight it. When you do it hurts you." That was won thing she remembered quite clearly from her magic lessons. The more you resisted the more harm you could do to yourself and those around you, namely her bonded pair.

When Logen finally relaxed as he was told he breathed deeply.

"How long has it been doing that?"

"Ever since we got here."

"Something triggered it." Dria said simply. Personally she couldn't sense anything other than the splendor of the immediate environment around her. The lushness reminded her of Balinor. Everything in Balinor was verdant and full of life, just like this loch.

"Do you think... It could be another fragment?" Logen asked tentatively. He doubted it since Dria hadn't suggested or volunteered the idea herself.

"I doubt it. I don't sense one here." She looked thoughtful. She pushed off Ocean and began swimming towards Logen and latched onto his leg to keep her from sinking. Treading water was never really her thing. She really was a basic swimmer. Dog paddling did her just fine. She couldn't see under water or dart around like her sister.

"Let me see your hand." She held up her free one to reach for his. Logen complied and leaned forward and down as she yanked the appendage to see it better. She looked at his Kiss, the mark made upon the skin when someone touched the horn of a unicorn. His fractured the light hitting it into a dazzling rainbow. The speck of white where he had touched the horn sparkled like any precious jewel, clearly alive and obviously resonating with something around them.

She traced the mark with her fingertips as she thought about what it could all mean. All the while Logen watched her closely, barely breathing as he watched a rainbow play across her beautiful face. He always thought Dria's beauty was obvious but as he got to know her she became more beautiful to him and was no longer just a pretty face that was soft on the eyes anymore.

Dria suddenly looked up at him and paused, caught off guard by the look in his eyes but she shook herself free from it easily.

"I don't know what could be making this happen but I think you should follow it just like you did back in the tree with the nest. Do you," She paused for a brief moment, "Think you can handle it?"

Logen blinked, a bit taken back by her mannerisms. He nodded mutely before dismounting Calwel on the opposite side of Dria. As soon as his hand touched the water the pain intensified but changed. He didn't know what he was doing other than following his instincts.

It was the water itself that was drawing him and since there was nothing on the surface... He dove underneath the loch and went down and down until he reached the bottom. His ears popped from the change in pressure but it was still bearable. He opened his eyes, the purity of the water so complete that they did not sting when he did.

That surprised him. He looked around him for a moment but was quickly running out of air. Kicking the sandy bottom, causing a storm to erupt around his feet, he launching himself up to the surface and shattered the surface as he took in a gulp of air.

Dria jerked back as she again clung to Ocean who remained her rock.

"Did you go all the way to the bottom?" She asked, impressed.

"Aye." He whipped his head around, this long hair matting around his eyes.

"Well? What happened?"

Logen tread water as he steadied his breathing. He opened his mouth to speak but honestly couldn't answer.

"Did you feel any different down there?" Dria probed.

"Uhh..." Were the only intelligible words that came out of his mouth.

Recalling the words of her magicking mentor, "Remain calm and let the magic flow through you. You're a medium. Act like it." She never liked her mentor.

Logen scowled at her before nodding. He took a deep breath and again submerged himself underwater, this time keeping his wits about him. Once at the bottom he looked at his Kiss. Even in the water it threw all light around it into a rainbow but he didn't feel any different. The water still felt like needles were lancing into his arm. His feet kicked around in the sand for a moment before his eyes lit upon something that glinted bright in the water.

Without thinking he reached out his plain hand and grasped blindly into the murky waters, stirring up more translucent obstructions. But all at once he felt something sharp and solid in his hand an he quickly rocketed towards the surface once more.

Dria gave Logen a bit more time before she began peppering him with questions on his find. She swam nearer to him as he clung to Calwel for support.

"What did you find?" She asked.

Logen shook his head like a dog before answering. "I don't know." He gently opened his palm that was full of sand. Dria delicately parted and sifted through it before she suddenly gasped, stealing his find from under his nose.

"That cannot be!" She wailed, distressed.

"What?" He thundered.

Dria cleaned off the treasure before showing him what he found. His mouth dropped as she help up a shard of Ocean's horn, the animal in question was crowding his lady as he watched a piece of himself resurface.

"I thought you said you couldn't feel anything." Logen was bewildered. How could he have felt something that a supposedly magically gifted woman couldn't?

"I- I couldn't." She wavered. "I can't."

Logen looked at her ashened face, all the playfulness of before drained from her being. He watched as she stared at the piece of acorna, a jagged fragment about as long and as wide as her pinky but ripped down the middle, just like the piece Logen had retrieved from the nest. He could see her eyes become unfocused as she concentrated on something else, something within her. He watched as her face crumbled into further distress, her eyes widen to impossibly large orbs as they looked around the loch and the small cleaning. She took in everything around her, his breathing becoming more and more erratic as time went on.

What had she told him about acorna? He found it difficult to remember such things that were so foreign to him.

She had said that each piece was alive and a part of Ocean. Now that they were shattered they had a limited shelf life before they became dead, she she described it. She told him that she couldn't sense anything within the loch and he believed her. But if that were true and there was a shard here then that only meant that this piece had indeed died.

But that still didn't explain why he could find it and she could not.

"You said this loch was unsuitable for people?" She asked, her voice shaking like a leaf.

Logen nodded.

"And that all this," She gestured to the plants and water around her, "Was new to you?"

Logen nodded again.

"Then that's it. The horn did all this."

"What do you mean?"

Dria shrugged helplessly. "Unicorns have the ability to purify most anything thats been polluted. More specifically water. The horn must have somehow gotten into the loch and began to purify it."

Logen had heard such tales of unicorns in all the lore. He also had an idea of how the horn could have gotten here. The snows had melted and must have carried the shard down from the tops of the highlands and was emptied into the loch.

"Acorna can also help nature grow." Dria added, her voice sounding very far away. If what Logen said about the place was true the the horn would have begun to change the landscape around it; purifying the water which in turn purified and nurtured the vegetation. And with all that magic at work it had drained the precious reserves of the horn that was now bone dry.

The fragment was dead.

Which meant that this piece was unusable.

She looked up at Ocean, his eyes wrinkled with worry and loss. She tried to picture her life long friend with a chipped horn. Lord of the Indigo band, Bonded Pair to the Queen of Balinor, a Celestial unicorn- with a fractured horn to be his and her lasting shame. She couldn't stand the thought!

When Logen finally caught a glimpse of her expression his heart constricted with how forlorn and hopeless they were.

"What do you plan to do?" He asked. He needed to get her mind working and not be consumed. She needed hope for she had none.

"What- what do you mean?" She sputtered.

"'Bout that!" He pointed at the last luster shard in her hand.

"What do you mean what do I plan to do? I can't _do_ anything! This piece is _dead!_ There is nothing I _can_ do. I don't even know if there is a way to revive the acorna." She tucked the piece close to her heart, as if willing her life and breath into the piece and make it come to life.

"Then that's it? You have no idea what to do?" He asked.

"Unicorn horns never break, Logen. And because they never break they never _die. _You don't understand, the very idea is absurd where I come from. Nothing is more sacred to my people than a unicorn and their horn. It is a symbol of power and strength and defines everything that is a unicorn.

"Reconstructing a horn is a lost art form," she went on, becoming more and more angry, "that much I _do_ remember from my studies. And even if it was put all together and I find all the pieces there is no way that a dead piece of acorna can be infused into a live piece."

"And why not?" Logen asked, interrupting her tirade.

"Because!" She practically screamed at him. "It would be like if you lost your arm in battle and they found it and tried to reattach it to your body. The limb is already dead and decaying, there is no hope in restoring your true form. All you can pray is that the deceased flesh doesn't spread and poison the rest of your body."

"Then how do you plan to revive it?" He fished again, his voice also raising defensively as Dria continued to yell at him in her helpless fury.

"I don't know! Things like this had never happened before! I shouldn't even be here, here-" She pointed around herself vaguely. "In this world right now, I should never have met you, I should never had traveled through the Gap. I should never had even lived!"

Angrily she began to wade out of the water, water rolling off her body in sheets, his undergarments clinging seductively to her body but she was trembling in red hot anger.

"And you say that there is no way to piece the horn back together?" Logen asked, following her, keeping his eyes trained upon her head, he saw her still in place, her shoulders and hands still trembling. When she didn't answer him he went on, "Then how do you plan to fix your broken unicorn? You've made it perfectly clear that you can't, that you do not display the skill needed to do even rudimentary spells without collapsing like a lamb."

He watched as Dria whirled around, her wet hair, now black from becoming wet, whipping about her face. Her normally joyous eyes were hard and unforgiving, darker and no longer resembling a sunny sea but a raging angry ocean of emotion.

"Don't." She growled lowly, fisting her hand.

Logen didn't back down as he continued out of the loch, water rolling off the naked planes of his chest, his dark hair slicked back from his face. Dria didn't see the hansom beauty before her but the worst of vipers come to bite and poison her.

"You've made a promise to your friend that can never be kept!" Logen shot back at her, giving her a good dose of reality. She thought him simple, she thought him easy going, she thought him easily under her thumb. It was one thing that she would never think again. From all her crypts and riddles she said to him about her life before she traveled through the gap he began to piece together everything slow but surely.

Dria flinched at the truth in his words.

He was right.

And she couldn't stand it.

She had been living and telling herself a lie. She had no clue how she was going to piece together a horn and revive a shard of acorna. Her hardened eyes darted over towards Ocean who stood quietly behind Logen. Under both their scorching orbs she couldn't hold the eye contact and looked away.

Logen watched as her pretty face contorted into bridled fury, her pretty mouth wrinkle in what could have been a snarl. Her eyes were the only things that remained the same, that held that part of Dria that he had become to know. Her eyes were windows into her tortured thoughts that flitted with so many overwhelming emotions.

She looked back at Ocean, her features softening for a moment. "It's true. I had no idea how I was going to do it. But I'm willing to do anything to do it." She paused then added, "I'm sorry."

She had planned to cross that bridge when she came to it, for now she was completely focused on finding all the piece of his horn. One problem at a time, thats all she could hand at the moment. She held up the piece she had in her hand as it caught the light.

It was all wrong. There was no dazzling shimmer than seemed to illuminate it from within, no warmth nor pulse of magic. Just a piece of pearled rock that paled and felt weightless and empty.

She took in a deep breath to steady the pounding of her heart. She had a lot of thinking to do. She threw another nasty look at Logen for his stinging truths before stomping over to her forgotten frock an shoes. Swiping them up she turned right on her heel and began marching off into the surrounding wood.

"Where are you goin'?" Logen immediately jumped out of the loch to stop her. She was a lady, they didn't wander off alone, especially in the highland woods, and especially not in their underwear.

She turned on him with the quickness of a mountain lion and showed her teeth and claws, snapping at him for following her and that she needed her space.

Logen stopped dead in his tracks and watched her disappear in th woods.

A puff of air hit the back of his neck and he turned to find Ocean standing near him, his eyes clearly saying to let her go. He sighed, still unnerved with the way the animal's eyes seemed more human than bestial.

"You have to have known that." He spoke to the indigo, stroking his nose. The stallion did not respond. He seemed to be more understanding.

Logen peered into the woods and frowned. "She needed to hear that." He told the indigo. "She needs her world rattled some more."

Ocean agreed. He feared that his queen had sipped into a complacency in this world, drugged by routine and the ever steady march of time. He feared that she would forget her own world, her own place and time. He knew that she wanted to escape her situation and he understood the feeling, but at what price?

Ocean was gripped in terror at what that answer might be.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

This chapter is edited.

So here is another chapter up! Hooray! I've realized now that when I started this story I had a different plan in mind for it but my characters seemed to have gotten away from me and its going in a completely different direction. But I think its going even better than the original plan.

This story is going to be a long one but I plan to stick it out to the end.

I hate reading such a nice long fic to have it abruptly end because the author didn't want to mess with it anymore. That won't happen with mine.

Thanks again to 365PagesOfAwesomeness for reviewing, I'm so glad you liked the last chapter. I hope you enjoy this installment as well.

Thanks to my other reviews and until next time.

BVR


	10. The Dark Soul

The Dark Soul

* * *

Aurora paced impatiently within her little glen. It was deep in a thicket apart and away from all the hubbub of the Celestial Valley. She was farthest away from Numinor's dwelling, the pillar of rock of which he stayed. And most importantly she was away from the Telling Pool.

Her abode was her way of escaping the machinations of her life. It seemed that recently all she ever did was searching the inky depths for hours upon, hardly breaking to rest or eat. Her energy was failing and her spirit was breaking.

Everything she saw in the pool was one horror after another.

The people of Balinor were living in terror, forever facing the brunt of Vurinadan madness. Villages and cities were sacked within days, sometimes in a matter of hours. Communications between their lords and the people were cut off. Barns and storage houses were burned to the ground in blazing fires.

At time Vurinadan troops would simply bypass a village, leaving a few behind to ignite the town in the depths of night.

Night was when they always struck. The rumors of the Shadow unicorns were no longer just a rumor but a painful and terrifying reality. They could be anywhere and everywhere. If any shadow was big enough for them to maneuver they could spring forth when you least expected it. They roamed the daylight hours, their riders dressed in black from head to toe. It didn't matter that spring was in full effect; they didn't stay in direct light for long. They were always traveling within the tweens. It was how they got anywhere, and fast too.

Numinor lamented that fact. How could they out maneuver an enemy who could change into shadow and move miles in a matter of moments? And that was only in daylight. At night they were nigh uncatchable. No one who wished to see the light of day again would venture out after the sun had set. The darkness was the shadow unicorns' domain, and therefore it belonged to Vurinada as well.

The Resistance was failing.

The rebels were being driven out in droves, seeking refuge out in the open seas. Many took to pirating, disrupting supply lines and sinking Vurinadan ships. Shadow unicorns were limited at sea for they could not step foot in the ocean and could rarely stay on ship, making the boats quite vulnerable since ground troops relied so heavily upon the creatures of the damned. Out at sea it seemed there was still hope.

The Lords of the Seven Houses had quickly fallen. Those who did not pledge allegiance to the new Vurinadan crown were summarily executed. Only two lords escaped. Two were hanged and the other three found new life under King Oorlin's banner.

The royal unicorns fled Balinor, hiding where they could. Squads of Shadow unicorns and their riders often hunted them down. Such raiders came to be known as Dark Nights. Aurora didn't enjoy the pun or the irony. There was nothing knightly in slaying a unicorn, whether it was shadow or not. They would only come out at night, sweeping the countryside in search of their flighty prey.

The Dreamspeaker did what she could to corral them into safer territory. If Numinor hadn't forbade any and all Celestials from stepping foot onto the mortal plain the job would be a lot easier. Entering the minds unicorns that hardly slept for fear of being killed was exhausting work, explaining to them why they had been abandoned was even worse. But she did what she could for them.

Another age old question was wearing down upon Aurora, something that Numinor asked her nearly everyday: Where was Emera?

Many assumed she was dead, much to the strong contrary to her herd mates of the Green band. They still felt her presence, although it was wavering and sometimes hardly noticeable, but it was still there all the same.

Numinor commanded the Dreamspeaker to find her immediately and bring her back onto the Celestial plain. Easier said than done, Aurora thought bitterly. The Green could sift just like any shadow unicorn could but her power lay within merging with plants. Once Emera shucked her unicorn skin it was impossible to find her. Aurora had tried to explain to the Golden One that she could not enter into the dreams of plants but he would hear none of her words.

Aurora hung her head. She liked Numinor less and less for the way he had been treating her. Sometimes she wondered if he thought it would b more suitable if she never slept nor breaked for rest and nutrition. On duty all the time, that's what he wanted.

Not only that she had to watch the Other Side as well, keeping tabs upon Queen Ildrianna and her bonded pair Ocean. The prospect looked grim. She had yet to find all the pieces to the indigo prince's horn and worse yet she had no plan what so ever in piecing it together permanently. Watching Ildrianna from beyond her own world was the most taxing of all her duties. The amount of energy needed to connect and stay tethered to that world was nearly astronomical.

What was worse was Estellana's situation was getting shoddier everyday. Since the dark prince had put that necklace upon her head and neck the young princess had been wracked the pain to the point where the girl often laid unconscious. Her prone form was toted around all across Balinor, ever so slowly circulating and following prince Rhalluan's war banner.

Rumor had it that the prince was going to sell the girl into slavery once he returned home however Aurora didn't believe such talk. Its not what she would do if she were in the prince's shoes. As long as he had the last remaining shred of Ildrianna's family with him sooner of later someone would try to rescue her. The Prince of Darkness was not stupid nor did he rush into things either. He broadcasted to all the noblemen that he had the girl captive and that he would sell her to the highest bidder. While the price for her head rocketed skyward he was also blatantly waving a red cloth in front of a bull.

Rhalluan was baiting the Resistance. Worse yet he was baiting the Celestials as well, and when and if she returned to fugitive queen of Balinor herself.

Aurora advised Numinor to not take the bait, for that's all Estellana was at the moment. No real bodily harm had come to her. Yet- as Numinor pointed out.

"You seemed to be laboring under the impression that Rhalluan still hold sentiments for the girl. Once his supposed regard for her vanishes she _will_ be killed." Numinor warned the Dreamspeaker. "I wouldn't put so much faith into that fiend. If she dies under his care," Numinor sneered at the word, "Then it will be upon your conscious."

And with that ounce of wisdom Numinor departed to tend to other matters. As much as Aurora hated to admit it, even to herself, perhaps he was right. Maybe she was placing too much credit upon Rhalluan's character. Perhaps she was judging too liberally on the fact that they used to be childhood friends. To Aurora those bonds seemed hard pressed to break but to Rhalluan? What if they were easily discarded?

The boy had changed ever since his mother died; she couldn't over look that. What once had been carefree and joyous had turned into guarded and hatred. She could see it in his eyes every time he morphed from shadow along with his ill-fated steed, Harbinger. Tracking him was a sporadic and haphazard thing. Just as with Emera she could not follow shadow. Once the prince and his charged faded into misty darkness her vision turned black until the next time he surfaced.

Much to the Dreamspeaker's annoyance all her searching was turning more into a fishing game. Sometimes the line would sink and an image would be fetched, other times the waters just bobbed blankly in the breeze.

Her pacing abruptly stopped when she heard a movement through the glen. Nostrils flaring she would have been furious if it had been anyone besides Atalanta. The lavender unicorn weaved through the trees and finally popped out from the thicket into the little clearing that was Aurora's resting place away from prying eyes and voices.

"Dreamspeaker." Atalanta bowed gracefully, speaking softly.

"Atalanta." Aurora nudged the little yearling fondly. "I feared that you wouldn't come." Her voice was just as soft.

The apprentice shook all over and tossed her head. "I wouldn't miss this chance. Besides I agree with you, Numinor's orders are quite impractical." Atalanta felt that Celestials needed to be down in the mortal plain below, helping with what ever they could. They needed to find a way to re-open the Gap. They needed to find more tweens and convert them into light. They needed to help guide the royal unicorns to safety. They needed to show themselves to the people, to prove that they had not abandoned them as the Vurinadan troops were leading them to believe.

"Impractical they may be but he means them for the best." Aurora found herself saying.

The lavender perked at that remark. "I thought you couldn't stand him."

Aurora's eyes wrinkled into a smile. "I can't, but he must learn from his own mistakes. He needed to learn to take chances." She turned on her heel then and began to lead them back out into the meadow. The sun was setting and a full moon was rising. They needed to get to the pool as quickly as possible without being seen.

"Like what we're doing now." Atalanta nodded diligently, following closely by Aurora's side. They clung to the tree lines, weaving in and out of thickening shadows. The young student could only imagine the new terror the people of Balinor would face on this night. Here in the Celestial Valley shadows held no power.

"Yes, Atalanta. What we are doing now is very dangerous."

The yearling pranced a bit. "What will I be doing?" The Dreamspeaker had yet to fully explain her role in the entire ordeal.

Aurora looked around cautiously as they emerged from the forest to find themselves in a wide-open meadow filled with chest high waving heather and grasses. The delicate stocks danced uninhibited to the wind. A few celestials were grazing peacefully upon the prairie.

"You are going to ask as my safety net." Aurora whispered, ducking her head a bit as she made her way into the brush. Atalanta followed suit. Since she was still growing she was short enough that the blades of grass came up to her neck.

The yearling thought about her statement for a moment. Aurora always encouraged this, to think before you spoke so it didn't bother the Dreamspeaker a bit when a heavy silence ensued.

"You want me there in case something terrible happens, in case something goes wrong." She spoke the words slowly and quietly.

Aurora swiveled an ear in her direction as they treaded deeper and deeper into the meadow. Few residents bothered to look their way. She was pleased with her student. Over the months she had begun to level out her energy and calm down a bit, becoming the demure and soft spoken and reserved Dreampeaker that was the trait of all her predecessors, of course it helped that Atalanta was just as exhausted as Aurora herself. And unlike a certain golden stallion she knew, Atalanta was bright and a careful listener.

Overall, Aurora was pleased with her selection.

"What should I do if something does go wrong?"

The maroon unicorn lifted her head higher once they passed into another copse of trees, her gait picking up significantly.

"You will either pull me back or disturb the image." Aurora answered absently, eyes intent upon her surroundings, ears straining to hear everything at once.

Atalanta started for a moment. "But you've always told me to never agitate an image!" If a Dreamspeaker was engaged in watching an image then no one was allowed to disturb her, not even Numinor, King of all the Celestials. To remove her mind from a concentrated scene could not only damage the watcher but also damage the pool itself. The yearling repeated as much to her teacher.

Aurora stopped, her ears clamped closely to her skull as her lips pulled back from her teeth in a menacing way. "I know what I said!"

The lavender spooked away, afraid of meeting the ends of Aurora's square teeth. She had been bitten one to many times when she had upset her teacher.

The maroon unicorn stood her ground, her body bunched and ready to spring. It was times like these that the Dreamspeaker wished that her pupil wouldn't remember everything that she had told her.

But she was resolute. "I told you that this would be dangerous. I know the consequences of my actions. If anything happens to me I've taught much of what you need to know."

Atalanta shied away once more, "You cannot mean that! I am not ready to be a full-fledged Dreamspeaker. Why can't we do this when I'm stronger?" She wailed loudly, clearly upset at her master's words.

Aurora invaded Atalanta's personal space, warning her not to raise her voice so much. "This needs to be done now, it cannot wait any longer." She continued on her path to find the pool.

Atalanta was hard pressed to keep up. Her legs were not as long as the Dreamspeaker's. She looked up at her mentor, seeing the determination and resolve there. She really was risking her life and mental health by doing this. Her mind could be lost to the fading image and all that would remain of her would be her collapsed body. And if that really did happen what would Atalanta tell Numinor? He would be furious and she would be punished. For the first time in her little life she felt true fear and trepidation course through her veins.

"Aurora?" Atalanta asked tentatively.

The maroon unicorns didn't spare her pupil a glance but acknowledged that she was listening.

"Is it alright to tell you that I'm scared?"

At that Aurora did finally turn to her student. She stared at the lavender for a pregnant moment before arching her neck and touching Atalanta's glowing silver horn. When the two acorna touched they were directly linked to one another. From Aurora Atalanta could feel nothing but soothing and comforting murmurs and the slightest hint of fright as well.

The two unicorns pulled away.

"You see I am scared too." Aurora whispered softly. "And I cannot do this without you, Atalanta. Will you not help me?"

The lavender yearling was in awe that the Dreamspeaker was also afraid, but knowing that they were both feeling the same feelings together was comforting.

"I don't know what will happen, my student, but I know that with you by my side everything will be alright." Aurora couldn't shake the feeling. She _knew_ that what she did today would turn out for the good so long as Atalanta was beside her. The feeling was absurdly reassuring.

"I won't fail you." Atalanta nodded and took off after the Dreampeaker. After several more long moments they finally reached the pool as the silver chariot of the moon began to rise in the sky.

This could only be done during a full moon, when Aurora was at her height in power, when she could see the entire world in but one glance- such was the power she could feel thrumming within her now.

Darkness had descended upon the valley and many of the inhabitants had retreated to their dwellings to sleep peacefully in the darkness- never worrying about a nightly invasion of Vurinadan troops or the sudden appearance of shadow unicorns who were truly the stuff of nightmares.

Aurora approached the pool cautiously; completely aware that any stray thought would trigger the pool into action. She schooled her mind into relative blankness as she focused her energy.

"Tonight I will visit Estellana in her dreams, and this time I will not be denied access." She remembered the spiky winged shadows that had nearly devoured her. Not this time, she swore to herself. She turned her neck to stare at Atalanta. "If you see anything out of the ordinary happening to me you must pull me back from the vision immediately. Do you understand?"

Atalanta nodded vigorously.

Aurora prayed that her soul would not be sucked into the pool like Minora's, the previous Dreamspeaker. Her control over the waters had been so complete that she spent most of her time sifting through them, searching for anything and everything. Nothing slipped past her eyes unnoticed, unwatched. She was a brazen as she was powerful, as she bravely tried to sift the waters into seeing the Father above, and for her actions the waters consumed her, body and soul. Some say it was divine retribution for her abuse of power while others said that she was so great that she had found a way to open a portal and step into the Father's realm all on her own.

Aurora herself still wasn't sure what had really happened. Minora wasn't the first Dreamspeker to be consumed by the Telling Pool, but hopefully she would be the last.

She stepped toward the pool and blew softly onto the surface while tapping it gently with her horn, instantly stilling the top, which reflected like molten glass in its smoothness.

Please let this work…

Reaching out with her mind she commanded the waters to allow her passage into the dream world, to find a very specific person to visit. Aurora envisioned Estellana within her mind's eyes and allowed her mind to unhinge from her physical form. Once separated she allowed herself to float within the moonbeams of the world below as she searched for Estellana's mind.

It took little time.

The princess was deep in sleep, though it was full of nightmares.

Aurora had to push away at all the strains and worry set into the girl's mind. She was sieged under doubt and despair and an acute hopelessness that gnawed at her very soul. Estellana was in turmoil.

The more Aurora tried to settle her garish nightmares new ones would spring anew. Something else was at work here. It took only mere moments to discover the culprit. It was the flashing golden toque and that seemingly innocent tiara! It was poisoning the princess's mind and turning it into chaos.

"_Estellana, my dear one,"_ Aurora whispered to the girl in her sleep, trying in vain to meld into the girl's dreams. _"Princess you must tell me what this is."_ Aurora projected an image of the torque into the girl's nightmare.

She watched, incomprehensively as the princess flinched away from the image, her sleeping body suddenly writhing in pain.

"_Shhh."_ Aurora cooed, _"It can not longer hurt you here."_ Aurora injected an image of the Celestial Valley into the girl's head; Estellana clung to the memory like it was her only lifeboat out at sea.

In answer to her previous question Estel's mind began sifting through everything she knew about the torque, what it was, what it was made of and what it could do. The more Aurora learned about the object the more disgusted and horrified she became.

The prince was using acorna! Such a thing was completely blasphemous! Not to mention nearly unheard of. It was the greatest of sins to remove a horn from a unicorn, and to use the horn for one's own personal use was more than barbaric.

Aurora's mind was reeling. The art of manipulating acorna had been lifted from the minds of all mortals in Balinor centuries ago, nothing of the craft survived. How could Rhalluan have used it? How could he have made anything from it, especially something as intricate and specific as the device that now had Estellana's life in thrall?

He had to have gotten outside help, that was all there was to it.

_Aurora! Help me please! Save me!_ Came a strangled voice from the darkness. Estel was trying to help in any way she could, the blossoming hope and expectation flooded into the Dreamspeaker's mind.

"_I am doing everything in my power to help you, my dear one."_ Aurora soothed, sending down nothing but warm feelings to the girl.

_Please, I don't want to be here anymore._

"_I know, Estellana, I know. But you have to help me first, where is Emera?"_

_I don't know. She's disappeared ever since I've been captured. _

Aurora began to feel the stinging sensations around the edges of her mind; it meant that her time with the princess was becoming short.

"_You have not heard anything from her?"_ She pressed on.

No. I cannot feel her. I can't feel anything. I want to go home. I want to get out of here, please, Dreamspeaker, help me!

Aurora's heart was torn. There was really nothing she could do for the girl at the moment except give her hope.

_Where is my sister? She's not…_ She seemed to loathe the idea that her sister had died so she could not finish her question.

"_Your sister is fine, dear one. She has made it across the Gap. She is alive and well."_ Aurora didn't bother to tell her that Ocean's horn was shattered, that the young queen had no idea how to really fix it, or that for the moment she was completely severed from returning to this world. One doom at a time, she supposed.

She felt the prickling sensations sudden get more aggressive at the mentioning of the princess's sister. Aurora vaguely wondered if her telepathic thoughts were being monitored.

"Listen to me, Estellana, and listen well. You must not lose hope, you must not give up. I have risked much in coming here."

_What do you mean?!_ Came Estel's bitter words, betrayal thickly lacing her emotions. _You've abandoned me! Abandoned Balinor! Why haven't you rescued me?_

Aurora was pained by the girl's harsh words, but what else could she have concluded since the facts were presented as they were. _"I have not abandoned you, my dear, nor have I abandoned Balinor. The day that happens is the day that the moon ceases to raise upon the earth forever more. Numinor has forbid all Celestials from returning to Balinor until things have improved. This includes myself. I do not agree with such actions anymore which is why I have come here to you."_

_Why would Numinor do such a thing? We need your help._

"_Give us time, Estellana. We need time to prepare for a counter attack. I have not forgotten you."_

Estellana quaked and shivered under Aurora's soft aura, drinking in her serenity as if she had been parched for water for days.

_I cannot stand the nightmares anymore, Dreamspeaker. _The princess told her brokenly, clearly defeated.

"Estellana, you must answer me. What do you know of that gift?" Aurora asked, referring to the necklace and tiara.

Estel's mind blazed with hatred and resentment. _I have told you everything I know._

"_So you do not know how or where he got it?"_ The Dreamspeaker probed.

No, only that if I ever wish to escape I am always at the mercy of Rhalluan. If I try to take one off the other will tighten and kill me.

Aurora paused and thought about that. Even under the light of the full moon she could not break the bond that torque and head unit possessed. At least not in this state she was in, merely just a phantom. She battled with the incessant stabbings of the shadows, holding her own yet they were becoming more and more vicious. Her time with the princess was drawing to a close.

"_Not only that but it also has power over your dreams." _Aurora added to the list of charming little actions the golden jewelry could do.

Estellana stilled. Was it true then? She had often wondered if her nightmares were tied to the pieces of gold. But she had discarded the idea since she had been having nightmares before she was held captive by the dark acorna. The princess thought that she would be driven mad from all the startling images and sounds she would experience from her sleep. She found no rest whether her eyes were open or closed. The thought of suicide was growing more and more attractive.

You don't mean that… She thought more to herself than in answering the Dreamspeaker.

"_Ah but I do. It is why I am battling so hard with you right now just to speak with you."_ Aurora examined the torque once more, really eying the inlaid stones carefully. _"The dark acorna is from a fallen shadow unicorn who gave her horn up unwillingly. In revenge she is taking out her shortened life upon you."_ The Dreamspeaker concluded.

Please. Make it stop.

It was a request that Aurora could fulfill. The dream world forever and always will be her domain and hers alone. No one, not even the Prince of Darkness, could say otherwise. Stretching her powers she shoved at the darkness that attacked her and seized upon the torque, battling with all her might. She cleared her mind and only thought of the moon in all its blazing glory lighting up a dark sky to give hope to any and all who cared to look upon her soft silver rays.

The mental image gave her a boost of power, a soft power, an unstoppable power that melded and flowed just like water, bending and moving around any obstacle that dared to stop it. It was in this way that Aurora was at her most powerful but also most vulnerable.

Letting the energies flow within her she surrounded the torque and the circlet with lustrous silver light, fusing it with the dark energies of the black acorna. The raw stones glared harshly upon the light, absorbing and snuffing out as much as possible until it would saturate no more.

With one last push Aurora severed the dream like hold it had over its captive, weakening it. Yet as soon as she won this important victory the inky blackness around her suddenly descended like a tidal wave, crashing around her and obliterating her concentration. What before had been a bearable nuisance now was a full-fledged attack upon her mind.

Aurora was adrift in a sea of darkness that seemed inescapable. The more she struggled the more brutal the attacks would be. For the longest moments she forgot who she was, what she was, and how to escape- so caught off guard she was.

She had been over confident and that had been her own undoing.

Aurora tried to grab a hold of her senses, trying to stay above the blackness and not drown yet the pain was excruciating.

In the Celestial Valley Atalanta watched in horror as Aurora began to writhe where she stood, hardly standing upon her four hooves. Strangled screams of pain would flow past her opened mouth and sometimes no sound emitted at all. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head as she struggled to just simply breathe.

Atalanta was instantly by her side, dancing on the tips of her hooves yet undecided with what she should do. Aurora had told her that if worse came to worse then she would have to sever the image from the Telling Pool. But she knew in her heart that she couldn't follow the Dreamspeaker's orders.

Instead she went on complete instinct.

Bracing herself she let her mind wander to the pool and felt herself slip into the very image that Aurora was struggling against. Atalanta kept the image of the moon fixed within her mind, letting the soft silver radiance wash over her. She projected herself not as a disjointed mind but as what she really was: a unicorn.

She emerged into a deep chasm of nothingness. It was a place devoid of anything and everything, except darkness. Within it she was like a brilliant ball of silver and lavender.

"_Aurora!"_ Atalanta shouted into the inky black.

She heard a shrill whinny in return.

Atalanta swallowed her fears as she breathed deeply. She looked about her; the tentacle darkness was ebbing from her brilliance. That in and of itself was thrilling to see and did worlds to her confidence.

She suddenly bolted, not wanting to stick around to see what else the shadows wanted to do to her.

"_Aurora!"_ She shouted again, altering her course just a bit to follow her teacher's aura. It was shrinking and waning, so much so that Atalanta feared she might be too late. She focused inward for a moment. Aurora had told her that nearly anything was possible while in the dream world; you were only limited by your own imagination and the few rules that applied to this realm.

Atalanta wasn't short of imagination. She projected herself to become moonlight itself, turning her entire coat to match her mane and tail. She was a silvery white creature blazing a path of light and brightness within the dark, a white unicorn just as the ones in legends!

"_I'm here! Don't give up on me now." _Atalanta growled out and bounded onto the scene. She watched as Aurora was being consumed by darkness. Fully ready to risk her own life in protecting the only fully learned Dreamspeaker Atalanta pounced on Aurora's waning aura, capturing the glowing maroon ball of energy with her horn.

_Atalanta…_ Came an exhausted greeting from the Dreamspeaker, her fight had just about run out. She was frightened and weak, having lost everything she knew about herself. Aurora focused her mind to stay near the lavender's illustrious horn.

The lavender yearling emitted a clarion call, trumpeting her triumph as she reared upon hind legs, battling the darkness, which tried to recapture its weakened prey. However the celestial had no intention of complying.

With all her strength and focus she threw the image of the full moon out of her body and up into the sky. Light burst forth from all around them as the moon illuminated the spirits of fallen shadow unicorns, controlled even in death as their deadly souls patrolled and did their master's bidding.

"_Now we see you for what you truly are!"_ Atalanta hollered, fueling more and more power and light into the projection. The light was as bright as the sun and just as scorching, searing into the ghostly flesh of the bodiless shadow unicorns.

They screeched and squealed in pain at having been caught within the purity of the moon's rays. Once Aurora saw what they truly were instead of blindly panicking and wondering what was killing her in the darkness she began to focus, fueling what was left of her own power into the full moon.

_Two Dreamspeakers…_ One black soul hissed in anguish.

_There was only to be one!_ Another howled.

_Release us,_ came the silent plea of one soul who was not fighting the purifying light.

Atalanta was suddenly confused with this one soul, the once shadow unicorn did nothing to fight the pain it was feeling from the light of the moon, not like the others around it were doing. Because her focused was suddenly split the moon waned, allowing all but the one to slip from the dream world, escaping what would have been a new death.

_Bring it back!_ The soul snarled, advancing upon Atalanta and Aurora once more.

Out of fear the lavender unicorn obeyed almost without a second thought. She watched entranced as the black unicorn was illuminated under the blistering rays of the moon. The unicorn looked up, gazing adoringly upon the celestial orb even as its eyes burned blind. The soul opened and consumed the light, finally looking upon Atalanta, speaking once more and for the last time.

In the days before I was damned I always yielded to purified light. You have my thanks.

And with that the shadow unicorn vanished, turning into blackened dust, swirling within a vortex of a paranormal wind. The dream world suddenly turned much less volatile and menacing as the moon hung innocently in the sky. Slowly the black ashes of the fallen unicorn began turning gray then white, then platinum silver as it lifted toward the moon and vanished.

Atalanta could not understand what had just happened but she followed suit, allowing herself to meld and bend into the moonlight. When she opened her periwinkle eyes she found herself by the Telling Pool.

Aurora lay collapsed upon the ground beside her. Once the lavender realized she still possessed Aurora's aura she dropped her head and touched the Dreamspeaker with her horn. At the movement Aurora suddenly scrambled to her feet, gasping for air. She stared in awe at her pupil and embraced her warmly.

"I knew I would be in good hands." She murmured, grateful beyond all reason.

"I surely didn't." Rumbled a deep tenor.

The two Dreamspeakers whirled about to find Numinor and his collection of bodyguards and various other important council members escorting him. All looked strained and enraged.

"What did I tell you? I forbade you from visiting the princess until I deemed it safe!" Numinor roared.

Though still a bit shell-shocked Aurora lowered her head and flattened her ears, teeth bared. "And when would have that been?" Her teeth gnashed together.

Numinor whinnied, "When ever I damned well pleased!" He retorted back, pawing the earth. "You could have died! I watched you die, I watched you fall to the ground, lifeless! You cannot do that; you cannot take such risks! And to drag your pupil to death with you. You're recklessness cannot be withstood."

If a mountain had crumbled into dust under Numinor's fury Aurora wouldn't have been surprised.

She simply stood and said, "It had to be done."

"It had to be done?! That is your only excuse?" Numinor roared. "Do you know what we could have lost this night if you had really died! If your apprentice had not been there to save your neck and horn?"

Aurora understood everything he was getting at. She had been wrestling with the implications for her actions for many days. She didn't need a lecture.

"Rhalluan is using acorna to do his bidding." She blurted out, trying to deflect his terrible fury into something more constructive.

You could have knocked Numinor down with a downy feather.

"WHAT?!" He roared. He reared into the air and screamed his frustrations and rage. "Such knowledge had been repealed from the mortal plain for centuries by the Father himself at the pleadings of a previous King." Numinor bellowed, referring to one of his predecessors. "How can this be?"

Aurora withstood. "I do not know. I had also thought the knowledge had been taken away from all mortals." The thought had really troubled her when she learned of it.

"Then whoever has leaked the knowledge is not a mortal." Numinor concluded.

Aurora started at the Golden One's conclusion. Numinor humored the Dreamspeaker, whispering mockingly, "Think you not I don't know what this means?"

"I do not doubt it, my lord." Aurora spoke respectfully. She was in trouble and it was in her best interest to not ignite Numinor's ire further.

"What else have you to tell me, and I beg you, is there any good news?" The golden unicorn ground out.

Aurora retold what she had learned from princess Estellana and of the enchanted jewelry the dark prince had given her and what it can do. "I've weakened the piece, it can no longer hound her in her sleep." She added as part of the good news.

More bad news. She did not know anything more about Emera and neither did her rider.

More bad news. The darkness that had attacked her earlier when she had tried to make contact with the princess turned out to be the souls of long dead shadow unicorns that had entered the dreaming plain to foil the Dreamspeaker once more.

"But there is good news." Atalanta suddenly spoke up, nervous once all eyes were upon her.

"Out with it." Numinor couldn't possibly see any more good news. Not only was he being plagued by the living and breathing shadow unicorns he also seemed to have to contend with the dead as well. Things just seemed to be getting better and better.

"When I was trying to fight off the blackness I created a moon who's light rivaled that of the sun and all the dark souls screeched in pain. They could not stand it. All but one seemed to try to break away from it, which made me lose concentration and allowed them to escape but this one didn't." Atalanta explained.

Numinor snorted, "Get to the point."

Atalanta surprised herself and pleased her teacher when she gave Numinor a look of exacerbation. "The soul was actually angry when the light dimmed, but when it returned he bathed in it, even though it was hurting him." She then relayed exactly what the shadow unicorn had said to her before he vanished and was purified.

Numinor stared, perplexed. "So they can be destroyed?" He asked bluntly.

Atalanta nodded hesitantly. "Yes, but this one wanted to be cleansed." She looked about herself then stared hard at the Golden One. "What exactly are shadow unicorns?" She asked seriously.

Numinor looked away, a complexion of shame and disgust in his eyes.

* * *

Alright there is chapter ten (I wrote this all in one sitting and I didn't know where it would take me)! I've finally hit the two-digit marker!

I honestly never imagined I would make it this far, but this is all very exciting. I hope you enjoyed the chapter; I worked very hard on it. I know I had said that this was on hold but it was kind of a white lie. I honestly didn't know how long it would take to re-organize and correct my other story. But when you go on vacation and there is nothing to do but sit and work and think you tend to get things done.

The next chapter is in the works.

Thanks for reading, please review!

BVR


	11. Archon Ciaran

Archon Ciaran

* * *

"I'm going to see Ocean." Ildrianna told the family as they gathered around the hearth. It was a common thing to find them there in the evening.

"Alright dear, just be careful." Came Nessa's brisk retort, her mind was on other things like the scrap of satin and velvet in her hands. She had been laboriously cleaning and restoring Ildrianna's tattered dress, the one she had arrived in when she came into this world.

The young queen's heart warmed at the gallant gesture but honestly the dress was just another painful reminder of that terrible night, something that she could hardly stand to look at. So as an act of good will and as a small thank you Dria said Nessa could do what she will with the dress.

"Use it as to make another dress, a new and better one. Or use the scraps to beautify one of your own." Dria had suggested.

Nessa was beside herself with joy, "Oh I donna need anythin' so fancy." She fluttered about like a mother hen, already severing a piece of thread and pulling apart the dress. "Mayhap my girls would like it very much if I spruced up one of their frocks." She had carefully pulled out the silk thread, marveling at the quality and sheen. The dress was made of deep blues and creamy white satin and silk and velvet. All materials were made of the finest quality and hand stitched with tender care.

"Oh, mam! Do you mean it?" Squealed Rosslyn and Sheena, jumping up and down in pure wonderment to have one of their finest dresses to be altered with material from a noblewoman's old dress. Something like that didn't happen everyday.

"Oh aye, loves, but only if ye remain in my good graces and get your bonny selves to doin' ye chores." Nessa winked secretively at Dria, pleased that her daughters were rushing about and causing such a ruckus. "While ye at it, why not clean your rooms. Make sure you get _under_ the bed, Sheena." Nessa gave her daughter one of those unmistakable motherly looks that said you-better-do-it-or-else, and you never wanted to find out what that 'or else' was. "An' pick out your nicest dress!" She shouted to their backs, chuckling to herself.

She cast a wondering glance at Dria, "Are ye sure, lady?"

Dria miled broadly, happy to bring any kind of happiness to the family who had saved her and took her in. "Oh yes, I wish I could give you more as thanks."

"There be none of that, ye be doin' quite fine, lass." Nessa nodded off, eyes fully intent on tearing apart the dress in the most delicate way possible.

"I'll be in the barn." And with that she smiled at Artair who raised his pipe towards her in acknowledgement and returned to his musings. Logen caught her attention but she refused to speak with him at the moment and left out the door.

Logen hung his head, rubbing his hands over his face as he moaned in defeat.

"What did you say to the lass?" Asked his father, reverting back to Gaelic as he always did when Dria was out of the room, or out of earshot. The English tongue never agreed with his mouth.

"Obviously somethin' that the lass dinna agree with." Nessa mused aloud, separating the priceless antique lace from the silk slip of the dress. The lace alone could be sold for a fortune. The delicate frothy fabric was tedious and time consuming to create. Such labor came at a high price. She was inwardly debating whether to accent her daughters' dresses in it or just go to the market and sell the damned thing. The extra money wouldn't hurt seeing as how there was an extra mouth to feed.

"I merely spoke the truth, ma. Nothin' more and nothin' less." Logen sighed as he fell back onto the stone floor, his limbs spread like that of a starfish.

"As I said, it dinna agree with her." His mother set down her new sewing project and glared down at her son but sighed, returning her attention to the article in her lap. Her son wasn't even looking to appreciate the gaze anyways.

"'Tis been nearly a fortnight. Whatever it is you said to her must 'ave been rough, lad, else she wouldna 'ave been givin' you the cold shoulder." Artair puffed some more on his pipe. "I thought you two were gettin' along quite well."

"More than quite well." Nessa added in a steamy voice.

Logen cringed, like he wanted to have his parents knee deep in his romantic life. Not that he believed he had one with Dria. Anytime he made advancements she would withdraw from him. And the kiss she had given him really wasn't what he had had in mind. He remembered the feather soft caress of her rosy lips upon his brow. The kiss had reminded him of how noble ladies kissed their champions. A peck on the brow or the cheek and that was it. He didn't feel any intimacy within the act, only graciousness.

"Ma, it's not like that. She doesna see me like… that." Logen sighed, staring up at the ceiling but seeing only nothingness. He shut his green eyes painfully; it was as if he were a wee lady complaining to his mam when something didn't go his way.

"No woman is too good for my son." Nessa said sharply, staring intently at her son, willing him to look at her. He had the grace to lift his head. "No one, ye hear?"

"Aye, mother." He let his head fall back with an audible thud. "Och." It hurt.

Artair listened to the two-way for a moment before looking thoughtful. "Me thinks that mayhap to lady looks tenderly upon you." He drawled slowly. "Did she say if she was goin' with us to see Inverness?"

"How do you ken, da?" Logen sat up, ignoring his father's question.

"I've seen the way she looks at you, she's bewitched by you." He smiled before his face suddenly looked sad. "But the lady looks wistful too, full of sorrow. Somethin' fashed her in the past."

Logen digested the information. He had been slowly telling his family about Dria's past, what little he really knew, though he edited it a bit. They understood that she had nowhere to go.

"She did say she had a betrothed." Logen muttered darkly.

"Then she's missing him, perhaps." Artair suggested.

"She thinks him a bastard." Logen all but laughed. "That she can't stand him."

"So she says." Nessa said aloud, slowly separating the thread from fabric.

Logen's face suddenly turned a shade whiter. It could be true, he thought to himself. She was nobility after all; perhaps her betrothed was also a blue blood. How could he compete with that? He was dirt poor, a mere commoner in her eyes.

"She hasna told me if she'll be comin' to Inverness." He bit out bitterly.

* * *

Dria settled next to Ocean's flank, laying her head on his barrel and listening to his lungs breath in and then out. Her eyes fluttered closed, the dark fan of her lashes resting on her cheek. She was utterly and completely at ease.

Ocean let out a little rumble in his chest in contentment as well.

Since their last confrontation at the loch Ildrianna had had little to do with Logen. Any time she did speak with him it was always in clipped frigid tones and to the point. She just wasn't ready to speak with him openly yet. The one being that she desperately needed to speak to was Ocean and he was as silent as ever. Over the past two weeks she had been babbling to him nonstop, going over various thoughts that had been bouncing around her head. Ocean followed her everywhere she went like a shadow, or like a dog, as Artair had said in amusement.

Ocean hung on her every word, comprehending most of what she said to him and somewhat answering her by shaking or nodding his head.

Through this process she had been more at ease.

She fished inside her pocket and unraveled an old and ratty scarf, revealing the shards of Ocean's acorna. For the most part she had every piece except one, it seemed. She had been scouring the land, opening her senses to their fullest extent. They would ride alone for hours and hours, roaming from place to place where she would stop him and sit, eyes closed and magical senses spreading out and searching. She had become quite astute with the method.

With it she had discovered small pockets of wild magic all around her, so miniscule that she never would have noticed them if she had not been searching for _anything_ magical. Each time she had found a small bubble of essence she had carefully gathered it, funneling it into the dead shard. She wasn't sure at all if the idea was working but when she proposed the thought to Ocean he had nodded his head vigorously.

Try anything; he seemed to be telling her.

She felt a faint pulsing from the shard every now and then but nothing to tell her that it definitely was working. Finding those pockets of magic was rare.

Dria lightly caressed each shard, staring down at them, willing them to tell her what to do.

"You know Ocean, I'm beginning to think that the last shard isn't around here." She considered aloud.

Ocean swiveled his head sharply upon his rider.

She stared into his azure eyes. "Remember when you took me back to the sight where Logen found me?"

Ocean nodded his head.

"In the snow, there had been ruts. They looked like they had been made by wagons. Maybe someone picked up the shard and carried it with them." She looked back to the shards. If the last one was mobile then it would be nearly impossible to find it, but she didn't tell Ocean that.

She sighed heavily; the night was finally catching up with her. "We need to think about leaving here to go find it." But she was afraid. Nessa, Logen, and even Artair were always warning her of traveling alone. She rubbed Ocean's belly, thinking. Before she knew it sleep had stolen her from the waking world.

Almost instantly she had begun to dream of Balinor. She stood alone and saw verdant fields filled with people working the land, she saw aged forests filled with animals, she saw her home. Everything was peaceful.

Then suddenly day turned into night and a large moon rose above her in the sky. For a moment she watched it change, phasing through its nocturnal cycle again and again until it was suddenly full again.. From it soft rays of moonlight gently lanced the world. From it she watched as tear drop of silver slipped from the silver disk and fell to the world below. In its shining luster pranced a lavender unicorn with a silver mane and tail.

Dria's hope was dashed as she beheld the young celestial.

"_Where is Aurora?"_ She found herself asking.

The lavender unicorn danced upon the tips of her hooves, performing an intricate pattern around Dria. The queen had to keep twisting her body to follow the flutterings of the yearling.

"_She is recovering from battle. I am her apprentice, Atalanta."_ The unicorn paused to bow deeply before her, _"Your majesty."_

Dria curtsied back. _"Has something happened?"_

"_Nothing more than usual. The Dreamspeaker wishes I not say anything."_ Atalanta half reared and changed direction.

"_Has she spoken with my sister? How is she? Where is she? Tell me, please! What has happened since I've left? Why haven't I've been contacted sooner?"_

"_Your sister is alive, though in dire circumstances. The Prince of Darkness has her in thrall, though we do not believe he will kill her just yet." _Atalanta interrupted.

Ildrianna shuddered at the statement and waited for more questions to be answered from the purple unicorn. _"Then its true? My family is dead?" _She blurted out, trying to blot out the silence.

Atalanta finally stopped in her wayward dance, sympathy seeping from her purple eyes. She tossed her silver mane about, _"But your sister is still alive. The prince has put her for auction, a rouse,"_ Atalanta rushed on to reassure the queen, _"To either bring out the Resistance, the Celestials, or you yourself. But do not worry, Aurora has been keeping a close eye on her." _The lavender nodded her head. _"You need not worry about her just yet."_

"_My sister is at Rhalluan's mercy! And you tell me _not_ to worry?!"_ Ildrianna began her own pacing. _"What has been happening in Balinor?"_

"_That is not why I am here, your majesty."_ Atalanta's instructions were clear; she would not deviate. Keeping up the concentration needed to sustain this conversation going was hard enough.

"_Oh no? Then why are you here?" _Dria said caustically, furious. She had wanted to speak with Aurora, not her incompetent student. She wanted answers and she wasn't getting them!

Atalanta scowled, _"I can hear your thoughts, whether you say them aloud or not."_ The lavender huffed. _"I'm here to help with this." _Atalanta waved about her head.

Dria stared blankly, _"With what?"_

"_This!" _Atalanta swept her horn along the ground, creating sparks of intense light as the horn made contact.

Dria watched in awe. So they had been watching! They had come up with an idea. _"Please, I don't know what to do."_

"_We know, we don't really either."_ The apprentice admitted. _"But the art of manipulating acorna has been unleashed unto Balinor. You must find the Mourner if you want to piece together lord Ocean's horn."_

"_Who is the Mourner?"_ Dria had never heard of such a person before.

"An immortal who crossed into Balinor by accident. He's gone by many names, his current one is still unknown. He is the only one who would still know how to craft together a broken acorna."

"_That's not much help, Atalanta." _She was supposed to find an immortal who has had several different aliases through out his very long life. Once she did find him she had to get him to help her, and she was assuming that he would.

"_I know, but we are looking into it." _The lavender's form started to waver.

"Wait, how am I supposed to find the Mourner in Balinor? I don't even know how to return."

"_We will return you to your home, my queen, and you will retake your throne."_ Atalanta's voice was suddenly getting more and more distant. _"The Dreamspeaker tells me to tell you to take the journey."_The moon began to shift and phase, growing smaller and smaller until it disappeared from the sky- becoming a new moon.

Ildrianna suddenly bolted upright, disturbing Ocean out of his doze. She ran a hand through her hair, puffing out a frustrated sigh. She finally got a message from Balinor and it was been a shoddy one at that. The last bit took little time to interpret.

"Ocean, we're going to Inverness."

* * *

"You mean to tell me," Rhalluan pinched the bridge of his nose, his cold eyes shut tight, "That my wards failed because there was not one but _two_ Dreamspeakers?" He looked at the four guards, specifically Daeroc. He knew that the guard has a soft spot for the little princess.

Around the prince a darkness slithered; inky tendrils of blackness swam about his form. The souls could not take on form in the weak torchlight and so writhed in affliction. Rhalluan did nothing to relieve their sufferings.

The darkness clutched at him with phantom arms, passing through him harmlessly. One hissed in obvious frustration at having no physical manifestation.

_Yes. At one we could have snuffed her, but the second brought the moon and with it pain._ A soul reported, hovering on the brink of light.

The dark prince's mouth curled into a snarl. He could bring more pain than any little yearling every could. "You were there to perform a task, as simple as it was."

_You said there would be only one._ Suddenly the darkness stilled and gave way to another more intense aura, the likes of which extinguished the frail torches.

Rhalluan turned. "You're getting better at that, Ciaran."

The soul radiated itself out in a vast spread, enshrouding the entire camp site. The men began feeling the ill effects of the venomous soul. Daeroc's skin began to crawl, a violent shiver lanced painfully down his side. He began to sweat, his armor suddenly felt light it weighed two tons, crushing and suffocating him. He couldn't get enough space around him- it was suddenly crowded. The guard swore to the gods above that the very life was leaving him in small degrees. He glanced towards Estellana out of habit and saw her cringe where she sat in a heap on the muddy ground whimpering quietly.

"That's quite enough, Ciaran."

Immediately the air lifted and the night became a thousand times less threatening now that the giant soul sucking black abyss known charmingly as Ciaran retreated upon herself. Daeroc thought back to his younger days of schooling. Ciaran, pronounced with a hard 'K' sound, meant darkness and shadow. How befitting.

_You said there would be only one, _the darkness roared, launching herself at Rhalluan with every intent to attack yet reigning in her fury, stopping herself mere inches from the prince's porcelain face. From that steely darkness emerged a phantom face of a unicorn, writhing in shadows and sightless eyes turned hatefully upon her master.

"Clearly I did not know that the Dreamspeaker had taken on an apprentice." Rhalluan spoke evenly, obviously, curbing the urge to wilt under her blistering stare.

_One of my own was destroyed. _Ciaran's voice was silky smooth, the sweetest of poisons, a drug to lull the unsuspecting into familiarity and comfort. But taste too much and the toxin pulls the switch, to Rhalluan her sweet voice made his nerves grate and his stomach queasy yet he would never reveal that to those around him.

At hearing that Rhalluan's black brow raised. "Explain."

_We always yield to purified light,_ a soul whispered, crouching on the fringes of camp.

_And to purified light we must return, _another spoke, sneering as it inched closer and closer towards Estellana. The princess quelled in fright. She could not clearly see the dark soul but she could hear it and feel it.

"And this light would be?" Rhalluan probed.

As if summoned the clouds in the night sky departed giving way to the gentle radiance of the luminous moon. The heavenly body was now waning, the full moon having come and gone. With its silver rays softly combing the land below the dark souls fled for cover in the shadows, all except Ciaran. Rhalluan had to give her credit, only through sheer hatred did the soul even withstand the infinitesimal amount of time within the moon's rays before suddenly erupting into nothingness and scatterings into safety.

"It only proves that you will fail, then fall." Estellana decreed, bolstered by the silvery light.

Without warning Rhalluan turned upon the girl and cuffed her across the cheek.

Pain blossomed across the blond's face as she laid sprawled upon the ground. The sight had gone from her right eye and her left was seeing stars. She could feel something wet slide down her skin as she reached a hand up to cover the bruising wound, letting the tears well up.

"Step aside, Daeroc." Rhalluan growled out, not believing that the guard had thrown him off the girl.

"No."

The prince paused and all his soldiers breathing had stopped as they awaited what would happen next.

"No?" He asked coldly, his inflection furious yet curious.

Daeroc's hands shook but he remained resolute. "I cannot abide anyone hitting a woman, my lord."

Rhalluan glanced sharply at Daeroc, taking in the guard's protective stance as he crowded over the young princess, how his hand was placed tenderly on the crown of her head. He saw how Estellana pressed herself closer to his form, cheeks wet with tears as she bit her lip to keep from sobbing out loud. She trembled in fright, glassy eyes staring blindly above her, unknowingly locking eyes with Rhalluan. Her sadistic crown and torque gleaming wickedly in the moonlight.

He inwardly cringed as he saw her right eye was red from a burst blood vessel. In his mind's eye he was reliving the memory, only this time it was he in Daeroc's place and his father in his. He remembered the fear roiling off his mother's exposed form. He remembered when he was younger he vowed to never let it happen again, or ever let himself be like his father.

Disgust and loathing filled his heart and mind as he saw himself becoming more and more like his father, guilt gnawed at his insides until they were raw. He looked about himself helplessly until Harbinger came into view. Without any words spoken the steed knelt by his feet and offered him an escape.

He mounted quickly and tossed over his shoulder, "Get her cleaned up." And rode off, disappearing into the night.

"You are nothing like your father." Harbinger told his rider between jagged puffs of breath. He was at a full out gallop, allowing his rider to run away from himself for a while. It was something that was happening with more frequency. The black stallion could feel the inner struggle within his bond-pair as if it were his own.

The Prince of Darkness tried to take some comfort in those words but he found himself with bad company. The dark souls were bound to him and there fore went where ever he went. He could feel the malevolence of Ciaran as she uttered gleefully, _Oh but you are._

Those words tore to the depths of Rhalluan's tattered soul.

Was he any different? He was selling off his body and soul to accomplish goals that were never really his to begin with, forced into a cruel game with the highest stakes. He clutched at his heart, feeling the heavy breastplate beneath his hand, feeling the hot burning skin penetrating the layers, feeling the brand upon his heart.

* * *

Aurora curled her slender legs underneath her body and sighed heavily. She felt drained, body and soul. Since her run in with the vicious souls she had been commanded by Numinor himself to rest. She looked about herself in wonderment and took in the sight of the valley of Celestials grazing peacefully. She was on the King's Rock, the great cavern of the reigning Celestial leaders of ancestors past. Only the king and his chosen mate and queen could sleep and live within the Rock.

There was not any stretch of the imagination within Aurora's mind that made her consider herself as Numinor's new consort. For one she was too old and he far too young and inexperienced with life. They could barely stand each other on the best of days.

She recalled his scorching yellow eyes blazing through her, over her as she stood before him on trembling legs. She knew that he knew that it was not out of fear. His eyes focused in on her exhausted condition and he had snorted unhappily before telling her to 'come with me'.

Her pace had been slow and full of stumbles but he remained by her side, offering his support and balance when ever she needed it. He had commanded his staff away, telling Atalanta to leave and return to her frantic mother. His voice had been so full of authority that the filly had no room to question it.

"Where are we going?" Aurora asked tiredly.

Numinor shook his head before glancing at his companion. "I am taking you too my humble dwelling."

The words had stopped her in her tracks. No one visited the King's Rock. No one was invited inside, as he was suggesting. The only time she ever glimpsed it was when they preformed the rainbow Ceremony to greet the sun each morning, when the light hit it at just such an angle.

Humble dwelling had been an understatement. The cave was a dazzling cavern brimming with the most precious metals and gems that mankind would ever covet. Yet here in the Celestial Valley they were merely pleasant to look upon. The ground was a speckled granite that was worn smooth. Behind the cavern was a winding passage way that had a private meadow of which Numinor could graze undisturbed. There was even a babbling brook and a spring. The entire garden was encircled by towering rock that was unclimbable by unicorns, and really that was the only creatures it was meant to keep out.

It was lavish and grand and majestic and everything a wanting unicorn could ever think of. Aurora was deep in her own private musings and didn't hear the Golden One's approach.

"Have you regained some strength?" He asked quietly, his voice was knocked around the walls of the cave.

The Dreamspeaker's head jerked, started. She thought about it for a moment. She did feel better.

"I do not condone your actions. What you did was foolish and dangerous. But," Numinor trailed off and tilted his head to the side as he gazed down upon the maroon mare. "What you did was very brave."

Aurora squirmed under the compliment. Such words coming from him seemed extremely strange to hear.

"I have been thinking about the problem with the Gap." Numinor went on, pacing a bit. "I have sought out the Old Mare of the Mountain- I believe she can shed some light upon the situation."

Aurora followed his pacing with her eyes, which considerably widened at the mentioning of the Old One.

"Will you be able to find her?"

"She is under my rule." Numinor said plainly. "I have summoned her."

Aurora fought the urge to roll her eyes. He should know that the Old Mare was and always will be more obstinate and whimsy than Aurora could ever be. She wouldn't hold her breath and wait for the Mare's arrival. She merely kept quiet on her thoughts, let him figure out that the Old Mare went where the wind blew her.

"Numinor," Aurora began, taking in a large gush of air.

The golden stallion stopped his pacing, showing that he was listening.

"What exactly are the Shadow unicorns?" She spoke so softly that there was no resounding echo, in fact the cave suddenly seemed stifling and small.

Numinor gazed out upon the meadow at his herd mates, their coats a riot of technicolors involving every color within the visible spectrum. It was truly a sight to behold and how he cherished the vision. He closed his amber eyes and turned away. From Aurora's position Numinor's body suddenly eclipsed the sun's rays that lanced their way into the King's Rock. His form was illuminated from behind and his eyes and jewel blazed in the scorching darkness. The Golden One suddenly became dark and brooding, the shadows throwing a sinister veil over the scene before her and she sucked in a startled breath.

"The first Shadow unicorns were born right here in the Celestial Valley." Came an old and withered voice whispering through the cave.

Aurora started and got to her feet, looking about her.

"I was beginning to become impatient." Numinor sighed, eyes darting around his home. A bit of amethyst began to heave and shiver as it morphed into the Old Mare of the Mountain. Her frame was thin and wizened, her mane and tail rather sparse and fragile and swept about her in a wild frenzy. Her milky eyes seemed unfocused yet hard. With one knobby limb she stepped out from the rock and into the Celestial plain.

"As mortals would say, I could become lavishly rich from your impatience." The Old Mare chuckled a bit. She gazed with watery eyes upon the pair of unicorns. "Talk of shadows and darkness. I thought you summoned me for a different purpose." She snorted and shook her mane.

"I have. You merely joined us in the beginnings of a conversation." Numinor responded.

"Our dark brethren are hardly subjects of quality conversation." The Mare said rudely.

"I was merely trying to understand what they truly are." Aurora jumped in. The Mare was a force to be reckoned with. Her aura was vast and insurmountable, reeking of so much Deep Magic that the Dreamspeaker could taste it in her mouth it was so potent. She felt bowed under the onslaught. She glanced at Numinor, he hardly flicked an ear in response.

The Mare turned her gaze upon the Lady of th Moon and looked a bit thoughtful. "From the moment that light was born so too was darkness. For every single Celestial unicorn there is also a Shadow. There are those who still live who are from the days before the birthing of light who have damned themselves to darkness- those who walk the very earth below even now. And just like there are those born into the light against their will there are those born unwillingly under darkness.

"They are condemned to the Dunes, their hell, for unspeakable betrayals to the Father and to their herd." The Mare began hobbling out of the cave to the back, stepping out onto the tender blades of grass of Numinor's private meadow.

"They were once our herd mates?" Aurora asked, incredulous as she followed the Mare.

"Oh yes, so very long ago."

"And you say the the First Betrayers are alive and loose upon Balinor?" Numinor was trying not to sound too alarmed about that bit of news. The thought was very chilling.

"Varying degrees of the term 'alive', but yes." The Mare answered, ignoring the Dreamspeaker.

"How many?" Numinor asked severely.

"The dark Archons have all but vanished, only a select few still remain. You will know one when you see it. As to their precise numbers I haven't the faintest clue." She bent her head to drink from the babbling brook.

The very word sent chills down Numinor's and Aurora's spine. The air around them took on a darker hue, the temperature dropped. Only the Old Mare seemed unaffected. Lifting up her head she shook her mane again, whipping about her translucent horn effectively shooing the shadows away.

"I, myself, in my aimless wanderings of the world below have come across an Archon of a different kind, dead if you will. Quite curious, since the Prince of Darkness has summoned the blasted creature himself. He will regret that."

The Dreamspeaker continued to listen, drinking in Numinor's presence as he conversed so openly with the Old Mare. "He didn't form an accord, did he?"

The Old Mare merely gave him a long stare but said nothing.

Numinor hung his head and sighed heavily.

"Enough talk of such trivial things," The Mare sniffed, "What did you really summon me for?"

Numinor began to pace again. "The Gap. It is an uncontrollable force. Queen Ildrianna and Ocean were sent to the Other Side yet establishing contact with them had been haphazardous." He gave a poignant look at Aurora now blushing under his gaze but suddenly sobered when the Old One turned her eternal gaze towards her.

"I've ordered a special glory of unicorns to descend upon Balinor to examine the Gap." At Aurora's snort he turned upon her. "Yes I have been sending small parties down to the world below. They can open the Gap however," He stopped his pacing and looked helplessly upon the Old Mare of the Mountain. "They cannot connect to the world in which Ildrianna resides."

The Old One nodded. "That is a problem."

"I do not understand it." Numinor added.

The Mare heaved a great sigh and suddenly looked world weary and listless. Slowly her gaze returned to the Dreamspeaker and she looked thoughtful. "All this fuss about the Gap. Why did you summon me when it could easily be answered by your little Dreamspeaker?"

Numinor turned swiftly towards Aurora who backed away from the sudden onslaught of attention.

"I've already told you, Numinor, that I don't know why the Gap is no longer working." She spoke defensively.

Numinor was about to say something otherwise before the Old Mare cut him off. "Tell me, do you know in what part of the cycle was the moon when Queen Ildrianna left this world?"

Aurora straightened and tossed her head as she thought for a moment. If she recalled correctly she had been watching the entire escape from the pool, and she had such clarity and control over the image that it could have only been under the light of- "The full moon." She finished the thought aloud.

"Then tell me, what was it like on the Other Side?" The Mare went on, bending her head down to munch on some grass.

Aurora's eyes widened. "It was a full moon..." She whispered.

Numinor looked between the two of them, nostrils wide as he tried to control his breathing. "So?" He thundered.

Aurora began to shiver as her mind raced. "Don't you see? The reason I've found it so difficult to see into the Other Side wasn't merely just a lack of magic, though that is a factor. When I looked for Ildrianna I had to strain and I couldn't always find her."

The Old Mare nodded with slight enthusiasm, a little put out that the Dreamspeaker couldn't figure this out fully on her own or that Numinor still seemed in the dark.

"So?" Numinor repeated sternly as he gritted his teeth.

The Old One smiled. Aurora turned to Numinor. "It seems as though that time flows differently between our world and the world Ildrianna resides. When we opened the Gap we opened it to a world that had a corresponding full moon in which the Deep Magic draws power- no matter how weak it may be.

"It could have been any place, any world in which we could have forced her to, any time in that world. I could only see her when our two moons correlated to each other, and it seems that time must align itself again to our world if we want to open the portal to the Other Side and retrieve the queen." Aurora finished, her mind racing with thoughts, she turned towards the Old Mare and gasped, alarmed that the Mare was morphing into rock once more.

"Old One, wait! There are still many more things I must ask you!" Aurora wanted to know fully what they were dealing with, know at what times their worlds would realign again.

"You don't need me." The Old Mare of the Mountain sighed as she faded away to nothingness.

"I never even dismissed her." Numinor pawed angrily at the ground. He turned to the Dreamspeaker. "You must contact Ildrianna and ask about their moon, tell her to find the Gap on her side, that she must hurry and return to us. The fate of Balinor hangs on her shoulders."

* * *

Hooray for another update. Thank you all for reviewing. This chapter took longer than I expected. I wanted to jump right into the Inverness scene but there was more preparation that needed to be done before I get to it. And then finally Dria can return to Balinor!

I know its taking forever but I plan on keeping up with this story. I've got so many ideas for it.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter and happy Friday! Please review!

BVR


	12. The Blank Card

The Blank Card

* * *

"Will you quit your fidgeting, woman?" Logen urged Dria tightly under his breath, but of course she didn't understand- he was chastising her in Gaelic. He pushed her firmly back onto the rattling bench, praying to the gods above she wouldn't attract too much attention. He fired a quick glance in her direction, rolling his eyes as he watched the young noblewoman twist her neck this way and that as she tried to take in all that was Inverness. Her mouth was ajar; her eyes wide, tiny gasps would escape her as she spied the shops, the wares, the structures, the noises and smells. And the people.

Logen sighed as he reached down from his steed, Calwel, and placed a large hand atop her head and made her face forward once more, shutting her mouth as she gaped at the bustling market. An on-looker saw the spectacle and lifted a snarled brow. The young breeder smiled and said in Gaelic that it was her first time to such a place as Inverness, to which the watcher nodded and smiled, this time in appreciation of the lady's spectacle.

"Logen!" Dria exclaimed, pointing at a weaver's stall excitedly, "Look!"

"By Danu! Dria!" Logen snapped at her, placing a none too gentle finger upon her lips to silence her. "Remember wha' I tol' ya." His English came out in short clipped tones, heavily veiled in his brogue.

Dria immediately became contrite and kept her excitement to herself. Before they had begun their days long journey to the hustle and bustle of Inverness Logen had explained that her mouth should be taciturn so she would be less noticeable to the public. It was because she was English, he had explained. The Scots didn't take too kindly to the English, even if she was a bonny one.

Dria sat docily in her seat once more, her hands folded neatly in her lap, back straight and her form filled with poise. To her it was perfectly natural to revert back into, she had known such grace all her life- but to the common Scot her form reeked of suspicion. Logen cast a quick glance about him and wished he could disappear. Never before had he or his family ever been under such a critical eye, he glanced at Dria again, she might as well have been a poorly disguised queen in peasant's garb, he snorted.

Artair smiled indulgently and patted Dria on the knee. His heart fluttered a bit as she turned her open heart-shaped face towards him and gave him one of those dazzling smiles, the kind that reached every facet of her features down to her soul- he could see genuine happiness practically oozing from the woman. It was the first time he really saw such a smile. He leaned back a bit once Dria's attention span was clearly focused on other things and gave a wink to his son, lifting his brows. Logen could have died from embarrassment as he felt his cheeks flush red as his father outright laughed at him.

The young queen tried to bottle her enthusiasm and calm down. She turned around in her seat once more and watched Ocean, taking in his reactions to Inverness. The indigo stallion was prancing energetically in place, arching his neck and grinding his maw. His eyes rolled wildly about his head, spooking easily when an over excited youngster reached out towards him. His ears twitched as he took in all the sounds, the shouts, the buzz of the city, the whinnies of other horses, keening of dogs and other livestock. The unicorn started as a small herd of pigs was being pushed through the crowd; the screeching shepherd clucked his tongue as he harassed his swine. His sudden movement caused the other tethered horses to startle as well.

"Ocean…" Dria called softly, her voice like velvet upon the wind yet barely audible. The indigo steed paid her little attention as he began high stepping around the crush of people, stirring up the other bred horses even more.

"_In nights where souls are retiring,_

_The moon's light is what I'm desiring._

_To keep dark's evil at bay_

_While my Bonded's away,_

_Run quickly, my Love, time's expiring."_

The words were spoken like a song from her rosy lips, said so gently and softly yet Ocean's ears stilled, jerking his head toward his Bonded, indigo eyes locked upon her sea foam ones. A sense of calm and tranquility sank into Ocean all the way down to his bones as he heard his lady's voice speak in the old Celestial tongue. It was a relic from the old times, when the Compact between the royals of Balinor and the Celestial unicorns was first written. Nobles and dukes and other high-borns, rulers included, used to be fluent in the language, however over the generations the language began to die and became something that only royalty knew- and even then it was just a formality.

Logen clenched his fist, feeling a pulsing sense of serenity pass through him but he resisted, and watched as suddenly the great beast withered into a tame domestic creature in a matter of moments, the other horses around him even calmed as well. Beneath him he felt Calwel's muscles relax and walk at a more steadied pace. He looked quickly around him and noticed that many of the animals in the immediate vicinity were no long braying but instead remained calm and collected.

The brunette haired Scotsman reached over and pinched the girl's arm.

"Ouch!" she hissed, jumping back into her seat and sat forward again, "I'm sorry, I will not move from my seat anymore."

"Did you just cast some sort of spell?" Logen whispered fiercely to her in English.

"What?" She asked dumbly, not understanding where he was coming from.

"Wha' did you just say? You spoke in some bizarre language and your voice became fankled, wha' did you do?"

Dria's oceanic eyes widened. She leaned closer, practically falling out of the wagon. "Could you understand it?"

Logen blinked before his brow furrowed further. "Sounded like gibberish to me." He leaned away, suddenly overwhelmed by Dria's close proximity. Her haunting eyes bright and vibrant; which made it hard for him to keep eye contact for very long. It was something he had noticed about her and he couldn't understand the why of it, so he just chalked it up to her being a noblewoman- at times aristocrats could be hard to look upon straight in the eye.

In truth it didn't sound like gibberish at all. When he heard her speak, he knew it was nothing but just above a whisper and that by all means he shouldn't have been able to hear her within the busy streets of Inverness. Yet he had, and it felt like his blood had been singing with her when he heard that lyrical language falling from her lips. Suddenly the world in his eyes came into sharper view, sounds were suddenly sweeter to hear and he felt as though he could taste the wind itself.

He unclenched his hand that contained the Kiss and noticed that it sparkled more brightly than ever, throwing off a cascade of rainbows. He closed his hand tightly and looked about wildly to make sure that no one saw, yet there had been only one witness and her teal eyes watched him closely.

_Perhaps the legends are true,_ she mused to herself. Those who were touched by magic were affected by the Celestial language; she subtly glanced at Artair who seemed completely oblivious of what had transpired. Those who weren't couldn't hear nor feel the effects- it was as if they were deaf. She again wondered about the extent of what Logen's Kiss could do. There was a reason why it was called wild magic.

"We're here." Artair grunted as he pulled the horse drawn wagon to a stop, pulling Dria back to her surroundings once more. Looking about her she found herself on the backside of a rather wilted looking building that was bellowing out smoke and noise. It was situated near the outskirts of town that contained a small arena that was void of livestock. She watched as Logen dismounted and retrieved the several horses that were tied to the wagon and lead them towards the corral, letting them loose once they were within.

Artair had gotten out of the wagon and made his way towards the building, calling out for a name. Dria remained where she was, absorbing everything she could around her. Logen's brother was a blacksmith, he had told her before. His forge seemed to be working just fine; he had finished his apprenticeship and had struck out on his own to make a name for himself.

"Drustan!" Artair roared, "Come out, lad."

The ringing sounds of a hammer striking the anvil abruptly stopped. Moments later a heavily muscled man stepped out from the overhang of the structure. Dria's eyes widened as she drank in Logen' brother. He was bare-chested, his arms rippling with iron like muscle, his chest glistening with sweat, his torso ripped, his hips wrapped in a kilt. He looked like a Man, with a capital 'M', with the body of a god- the one that artisans chiseled from marble to earn such perfection because surely no mere mortal could achieve such a physique. His hair hung in a leather thong that was plastered to his back by sweat and was so long that it hung to the small of his back. Eyes of piercing blue wrinkled into sheer happiness as seeing his father. Standing side by side she could imagine that Artair looked just the same as his son when he had been in his prime.

The two men embraced each other in a fierce hug that looked like it could easily crush the life from someone like Dria- and they began conversing in Gaelic.

Drustan finally saw his brother and the two siblings embraced each other, clapping each other on the back and laughing. All of this Dria took a side seat on because she couldn't understand a single word that was coming from their mouths. She had to admit that she rather liked the language- it was lilting and beautiful yet at the same time was filled with a certain air that she could not explain. She liked listening to it so much so that she found herself caught off-guard when the focus of the conversation became focused upon her.

"Drustan, this is Ildrianna," Logen approached the wagon and reached up to help Dria down from the traveling apparatus. She delicately grasped his hand and with every grace of a queen she dismounted the wagon as if she had been riding in the most extravagant and lavish carriage. "The noblewoman I found in the highlands o'er winter, 'member ma wrote to you 'bout her."

Drustan's eyes lit with recollection of the story and he again focused on the woman. He watched her look fondly upon Logen as he took her hand; he watched her fluid movement, which was indeed akin to nobility. She was dressed in a simple tunic and frock, her hair hidden from view by a ratty shawl yet she wore it like it was a dress of the finest silks- he saw no shame within her eyes for having to wear such simple articles.

The blacksmith glanced at his brother and saw the look of affection in his eyes and he knew that his younger brother was smitten with the girl- a fact which greatly amused him since she could have nearly any male suitor she wished. But he played the gentleman role and bowed a bit before the lady.

"I am humbled to meet your ladyship." He said in Gaelic. His brow creased a bit on confusion when he saw the lady stare blankly back at him and looking a bit flustered.

Not knowing what else to do, Dria performed a perfect courtesy and smiled brightly back to Drustan, "Pleased to meet you, sir, my name is Dria."

Drustan's blue eyes widened and he drew back alarmed, "She's English!" He barked to his brother in Gaelic.

"Drustan, doona be rude." Artair spoke abrasively to his eldest son, disapproval clearly etched into his weathered features.

"But da, ye took in an English woman? A noble lady at that? Wha' coulda possessed ye to do such a thing?"

"Would you 'ave let me leave her out in the highlands to die from exposure?" Logen protested, taking personal offense to his brother's words.

"'Course not, but you canna expec' me to 'appy to 'ear such things!" His mother had conveniently left out that the rescued lady had been English, just that she had been 'different'.

"'Tis the man thing to do, protect a woman." Logen bristled.

"Aye, I doona deny it but if it were betwixt an English lady and a lowly highlander lass I'd choose the lass. One less English wench to fash the world with her idle silliness." Drustan gave Ildrianna an appraising look, watching how the lady seemed to wilt within herself, looking wildly between the men surrounding her. "She canna even understand us, can she?" He all but sneered.

"She does not need to to ken that you're not friendly." Artair chimed in as he watched Dria back further and further away from the verbal fight. She knew she was the cause, she knew it was because Drustan thought that she was English and from the Land of Eng, a place she couldn't fathom the origins of. "Dria." Artair called for her again, this time in a soothing voice.

Dria stilled, emotion gripping her for a moment. The voice reminded her so much of her father's, that tone that every father had when he was trying to comfort his child.

"I'm sorry. I know he's angry with me but I cannot help that." Dria tried to explain herself, her oceanic eyes darting over to connect with Drustan's azure ones. "I am not Eng Land."

Artair nodded, speaking to her in English. "I ken, my lady, but you must forgive my arse of a son, he has been incredibly rude." He couldn't help but crack a smile when he heard her speak of England; she always pronounced it as if it were two separate words. It tickled his soul to hear her butcher the name.

"Aye, my brother isn't normally like this." Logen huffed as he walked away from Drustan to join his father.

"I am merely realistic." Drustan snorted, "You expect to stay 'ere? How can ye when she," He stuck an accusing finger towards Dria, "Sticks out like a pine in a meadow." He still spoke Gaelic.

"We won't be staying long, brother, donna fash yourself." Logen bit back, this time speaking in the English tongue so Dria could understand.

"You canna deny it, the way she moves gives her away. You might 'ave done better dressin' an ass in men's clothing."

"Enough!" Artair growled at his son. "'Twas ultimately _my_ decision to keep the lady within my house, and you will honor that decision so long as I have to grace to." Drustan shrank under his father's voice. "You will give this lady all the courtesy you would give to any woman 'cause your ma would want nothin' better from her eldest son."

"Aye da." Drustan nodded and approached Ildrianna and bowed deeply, "Forgive me for my manners, lady." His blue eyes were still hard when he met Dria's gaze and she knew he was only asking for show.

So in response she merely nodded her head at the gesture.

Drustan immediately changed the subject. "So da, what 'ave you brought with you this time?" He reverted to English, which was rather rough and hard to follow. It was noticeable that it wasn't his native tongue.

"Some fine stock, I 'ave high hopes for these creatures. Three are already specially bred and reserved for a highland laird." Artair accompanied his son to the arena where several horses were lazily grazing after a hard day's travel. Logen had returned to Calwel and was taking off his tack and throwing the saddle and bridle into the back of the wagon.

Drustan approached the fence and let out a low whistle. "Aye da, very fine stock." He watched his brother lead his old stallion into the arena and let him loose to graze. He threw a look over his shoulder to see if the noble lady had followed but he found her near the back of the wagon petting a magnificent beast. Drustan had to turn fully around to drink in Ocean's presence.

"Who sired and dammed that, da?" He found his voice laced generously in awe. The animal was simply perfect: nice long legs, a strong curving back with a powerful arching neck, a heavy chest and silky mane and coat. If his father had bred out such an animal he wanted one for himself.

Artair sighed wistfully and stared at Ocean as well and Logen let out a muffled laugh. "Your guess is as good as mine, son. `Tis the lady's horse."

Drustan looked wildly upon his father. "That belongs to her?"

Artair nodded.

"Well have you asked for breeding rights?" He asked incredulously.

"That horse is no more interested in mares than it is in rocks. Nay, he shadows the lady day and night." A bit insulted that his son thought he hadn't tried that avenue. He had made sure that Ocean was put into pastures filled with nothing but mares but the blasted creature refused to leave the fence line, and then the creature figured out he could easily clear the fence to reach the object of his affections.

"Besides, I doona think Ocean views the mares quite the same way as a normal stallion would." Logen added, meaning that he didn't think the would-be unicorn would ever really mate with a horse, yet it was lost upon his father and brother. He walked towards the pair, a bit of a smile on his face. "Do you want me to put Ocean in the arena?"

Dria blinked. "He cannot stay near me?"

Logen swallowed. "'Twill be difficult, he is noticeable in a crowd."

Dria clutched closer to her Bonded. "Where ever I go, he goes." She could not bear the thought of going anywhere without him in this strange city filled with hundreds if not thousands of residents who would not feel obligated to help her. She had to remember she was not in Balinor- there were no loyal subjects to lend her a helping hand. At that thought she sickened, wondering what the state Balinor was in and just how many loyalists were left to the crown.

Logen nodded a bit. "We'll explore the city later, for now I must help my father conduct business."

From a distance Drustan was studying Ocean and his interaction with his rider. It was clear that the stud was more than attached to the woman; the stallion's entire attention was focused on his mistress. The creature seemed to barely tolerate his brother's close proximity. He suspected if the lady showed any change of heart towards Logen the creature would be only more than willing to remove the object of her discord.

"What breed of horse is that, da?" Drustan mused out loud.

Artair folded his arms across his chest. "'Aven't the faintest clue. At first glance it looks like some sort of draft, but then ye take a closer look and you think 'tis the finest saddlebred you've ever seen. Then you really start lookin' and you imagine it looks closer to those exotic Arabian breeds." He scratched his chin and watched the indigo for a moment. "But then you watch him move and you discard everything and you're left with nothin'. 'Tis nothin' I've e'er seen before."

Drustan watched the creature for a moment, really looking at the horse. Despite all of its fine qualities he felt as if something was terribly wrong with the creature. He couldn't place the why or how of it but he knew what he was seeing was only a pale shadow of what it _should_ be. Yet seeing such a magnificent specimen made him rethink his career choice for it was certainly every breeder's dream to have such a fine beast within his or her fold.

He followed with his eyes Ildrianna's movements, and in turn kept his focus upon her stallion. The urge to weep suddenly overcame him when he saw her pull his tether away. The steed shook his head about him in a fit of joy to be freed as it took off around the clearing leaping about with such elegance that was unbefitting to a horse of that size- yet it seemed even more natural. Again he was plagued with the sense that something was horribly amiss with the creature.

Trying to shrug off the sensation that was threatening him he heaved in a breath before biting out, "That daft creature is blue."

Artair clapped a hand to his forehead; he was still in denial of the fact that Ocean was indeed a deep shade of cerulean.

* * *

Dria had managed to tag along with Artair and Logen as they went on their business within Inverness. Once she figured out that they were going to leave her with Drustan while they ran their errands she practically begged them to allow her to come along. Artair acquiesced after a few moments, only if Logen would keep an eye on her.

Drustan didn't look too distressed to see her leave; in fact he seemed to mourn Ocean's leaving more than her own. The blacksmith had been trying to get a closer look upon her unicorn however Ocean remained firmly obstinate- even going as far as to nip and bare his teeth at the Scotsman.

Riding sidesaddle style down the streets of Inverness was hard enough, though she had good balance and posture for the position it was far less comfortable. However she had to endure to keep attention to her to a minimal since it seemed that women riding with one leg on each side of a horse was uncouth.

She rode as a link in the chain that Artair was created. Behind his own mount were two horses being unwillingly dragged behind him, then Dria mounted upon Ocean, then Logen with his own two tethered horses to manage and to keep an eye on his charge.

They had stopped at one residence where talks were made and money and goods were exchanged, of which Dria paid little attention to since she could not understand Scotland's native tongue. Instead she focused more on her surroundings. Within booths there were images, whether it was upon woven cloth or earthenware or metal, of unicorns!

Yet… they were different. Not quite unicorns.

When crowds became less dense Dria made Ocean drop back to ride abreast with Logen.

"Logen," She leaned in close so as not to be clearly overheard. "Look there, at that weaver's cloth, is that a unicorn threaded onto that tapestry?"

Logen began to search the area to what she was describing and found it. A weaver was in the process of embroidering and embellishing upon a wall tapestry of a unicorn rearing up upon its hind legs. He looked incredulously upon Dria, "Of course 'tis a unicorn, what else would you think it as?"

Dria blinked and really looked at the tapestry. "But… It doesn't _look_ like one." Yet she could clearly recognize it for what it was _trying_ to be, she knew it was not a real life depiction of the real creature.

Logen laughed a bit, "Then what does it look like to you?" He was genuinely curious as to what she thought of the image, since it was what he had thought all unicorns looked like.

"Well… It's got a single horn like a unicorn, but its far too long. And look, it's so tiny!" She said, gesturing to the animal in comparison to a woman who was also depicted within the image. The unicorn was rearing up to be in the lap of the mistress who seemed to loom over it like a giantess. "No unicorn is that small unless it's just a foal. And that tail! Like a cow's." She twisted in her position and patted Ocean on the rump. "Ocean's tail isn't like that.

"Actually the tail is more like a lion's than a cow's." Logen interjected.

"Oh, you mean like a mountain lion?" Dria asked.

Logen shook his head, "No a lion lion."

Dria tilted her head to the side. "What's the difference?"

Logen frowned a bit. Having never seen a real lion with his own eyes he didn't really know. He only saw images of a lion from the royal crests that the English so loved to put on everything. "This lion has a mane."

"Like a horse?" She questioned, thinking the mental image absurd.

"No, all 'round its neck."

At Dria's peculiar face he gave up trying to explain something he had never really seen to someone who had no idea what he was talking about.

"What else do you think strange about it?" He asked instead.

"Well, its feet. I mean look at them! They look like a common goat's. Unicorns do _not_ have cloven feet."

When Logen really thought about it he had to agree, it was a strange choice.

"And they're all white. None of them that I've seen have any sort of true color at all. Unicorns can be any color they want, anything within the rainbow."

Logen vaguely recalled his dream that had been filled with unicorns. Indeed they had been nearly every facet of the rainbow, but the colors within his mind were drab and blurry, the clarity of it was lost on someone who had never seen a real unicorn before. His mind just couldn't absorb and keep the image long. Every time he thought of the dream it got more and more distance, more and more forgettable, and more and more unreal.

"That is how everyone here believes unicorns look, Dria."

Dria became silent a moment and retreated deep into thought. It could be true that unicorns of this place truly did look like this. Maybe it was Ocean who would look like a mashed together chimera; maybe it was Ocean who would be viewed as a fake- a horse impersonating a unicorn. She caught sight of another wooden carved image of a hunting scene. A unicorn was running wildly through a forest followed by a pack of dogs and men on horse back, spears ready to be thrown at their intended prey. The very sight of it made her want to vomit.

How could these people even entertain such malicious thoughts? How could the artisan bear to carve such a morbid scene?

Such thoughts were beyond her, killing a unicorn was about as impossible as moving a mountain or killing a man; her hand just couldn't do it.

When she felt Ocean stop moving she finally came out of her reverie and looked about her. She felt herself pale when she suddenly realized what had happened. The young queen looked about herself wildly in a panic, calling out as loud as she could without appearing overly frantic and attracting the wrong kind of attention. She clutched tightly to Ocean's mane wishing her situation wasn't true.

She was lost.

* * *

Ceraphina stared deeply into the palm of her current customer, studying the lines and creases and wrinkles, the trenches where life had worn deeply upon this lonely woman. She knew what the lady wanted to hear, she knew that the lady paid for good news, but all she had was bad. Her lifeline was incredibly short, and what was more she was wrought with disease.

Not that Ceraphina had any need to look upon her lifeline to see that the woman was dying. It was something that had taken root deep within this woman that wouldn't let go, something that herbal medicine nor prayer to the gods could cleanse from this woman. She looked at the woman with sad brown eyes set deep within a weathered face and shook her head.

"There is no 'ope for me then." The sickly woman said with resignation.

"You should be spending your money on healing potions and doctors, not on a fortuneteller." Ceraphina spoke slowly. Her voice was like molasses, slow and sweet, a bit raspy yet sensual. Her cinnamon hair was pulled back into a mass of braids and beads, held together by an elaborate head wrap that jangled with metals and beadwork. Around her neck and arms were band upon band of necklaces of both precious and poor quality. Her skin was tanned a coppery brown from being in the sun most of her life and her roasted body was covered in a simple wrap that was held to her frame by a simple knot and a heavy belt that was laden with pouches and other goods.

"They 'ave no' 'elped, and they are too expensive!" The woman seethed, her ugliness showing.

"Then you should pray for a miracle." Ceraphina said easily back, leaning back from her seat and folding her arms across her chest.

"The gods 'ave no pity for me!" The woman wailed.

"Then accept your fate."

The woman grimaced before she leaned in closer towards the teller. "I 'ave 'eard that druidry can 'elp."

At that Ceraphina laughed. "You could not afford such drastic measures."

"Will ye no' take pity upon me?" She pleaded. "I ken ye 'ave a piece of magic with ye. One touch an' ye could 'eal the sick. Please 'ave pity on me!"

Ceraphina was not moved by petty stories, she had not a care in the world if the woman dropped dead at this very moment, and she certainly didn't have a big enough heart to let her kindness get the better of her. No thank you, she had learned that lesson the hard way long ago.

"I will not waste such precious resources on you." She informed the woman coldly.

"How can ye be so cruel? Ye 'ave no heart!" The woman screeched.

"Easily. Leave."

The woman scowled angrily on the younger more life vibrant woman. "Ne'er!" She barked. "Ye shouldna speak so to your clients! May ye be cursed for such heartlessness!" The woman made to reach for her money back, displeased that she had not heard what she wanted, ready to give this wanderlust woman a piece of her mind, ready to lash out upon the world once more yet her knobby and arthritic hand came to a trembling stop as a steely dagger appeared upon the able, embedded between her and her money. She looked up at the fortuneteller.

"Wha' is the meanin' of this?"

"You cannot have my money." Ceraphina said nonchalantly, keeping her cat-like hazel eyes upon the over zealous customer.

"But ye said I should spend it on potions!"

"Yet you spent it on me. You cannot unspend it." With that said she swept the coins from the table and pushed them within one of her pouches and drew the drawstrings tight. Out of sight; hers forever. She was a gypsy after all.

"Devilish girl! Gods curse ye an' your children's children!" Pointing an accusing finger upon her yet she shied and gasped aloud as Ceraphina flipped the dagger up and pointed it threateningly. "The fiendish woman wishes to kill me!" She shrieked as she ran from her stall.

"I better not see you again!" Ceraphina shouted back before placing the dagger back to her belt. She let out a long sigh and pushed a strand of cinnamon hair from her face. Her normally straight hair was crinkled and wavy due to the fact she had it in braids most of the time- she rather liked the effect it left her.

"Too bad I already feel cursed." She mused aloud, scowling again at the retreating woman. As a gypsy she thought her life would be much more exciting, she got to travel the world, to see new sights. Yet to the townspeople she was less than worthless, a piece of floating garbage, a street rat- less than human. And as such, since they had treated her so horribly she hated them. It was only the 'street-rats' that took pity on her when she was just a little girl; they were the ones that took her in as their own, raised her, and clothed her. Yet she still wanted to be accepted by them.

She wanted more from this life than what she had. She had the freedom to go anywhere, yet she was accepted nowhere expect by her own. She wanted more than her own.

Ceraphina patted her red velvet pouch, the most lavish and pretty of all her pouches, which held the most precious of all her possessions. She dabbled a bit in druidry; she knew her fair share of things. A little of this and that and the other and she could get herself out of tight spots if she needed, protect herself if she had to, and was able to recognize other magical things. For instance, the shard that was within the red velvet bag.

She didn't know what it was from, though she secretly hoped it was from a unicorn- a little fantasy of hers, but she knew it was precious, sacred even. It was a source of magic, something she found during winter when she had inadvertently stepped on it in the snow. Once she picked it up she simply sealed the leaking talisman and pocketed it, never letting her gypsy family know that she had such a thing on her.

She knew well enough not to share. Since she had it she no longer got sick nor did she ache in her body- she felt fit and great all the time. But she didn't just want to use it on herself, she wanted it to help boost her profits as a fortuneteller.

Within it she used to scry for lost items, purify poisonous liquids, and to cast futures. It was incredibly accurate and powerful, a magical boost to her natural abilities. She was thrilled at the prospect and she often used it when those with enough money to spend came to her. She had already had quite a few noble born ladies and even men come to her.

The young gypsy looked up when she saw a bit of movement and her eyes caught upon the most beautiful horse she had ever seen. She quickly looked at the rider and knew instantly that she was high born, more so than just a noble lady- this was something even more.

She suddenly felt the urge to call the lady over and she always followed her instincts.

"Are you lost, lady?" Ceraphina called, speaking in Gaelic. She was a bit frustrated when she waited and it seemed like the rider didn't hear her. She called again, this time in English. "Are you lost, lady?"

Dria whipped her head about to the voice and spied the crouching gypsy. Her area was set up under a haphazardly propped tent made from wooden poles and woven sheets. Within sat Ceraphina upon a heavy rug with a wooden crate in front of her that appeared to be used as a table. Deeper within the tent was what Dria assumed to be the gypsy's life- piles of clothes, trinkets and the like. She noticed a common theme to the décor. There were numerous tapestries of woven unicorns, carved wooden figurines, painted pottery, engraved boxes, and even a piece or two of her jewelry was crafted to look like unicorns.

All of this Dria gave a cursory glance, what she zeroed in on was the gypsy herself, more like what was with her.

As Dria had been wandering around Inverness trying to find Logen and Artair or even find her way back to Drustan's forge she had spread out her senses to encompass the city when she felt the pull of another acorna shard. She immediately put her task of finding her new adoptive family to secondary to that of finding the possible last piece of Ocean's horn.

"I was never lost." Ildrianna answered back, stopping her indigo in front of the gypsy tent.

Ceraphina took a closer look upon the rider and indeed the lady didn't seem lost, it seemed as if she had been looking for something and that she found it- if her face was anything to judge by. Inwardly she was pleased. Could it be that her renown was spreading and people were actively searching for her now? Perhaps she would soon be patroned! She could hardly hide her excitement.

Taking a deep breath to instill some sort of tranquility within her she invited Ildrianna into her tent.

"Do you wish me to read your fortune, my lady?" Ceraphina asked, her hooded eyes nothing but inviting while inwardly she was planning the best way to suck as much money from her client as possible.

Dria approached slowly and dismounted, her steps slow and calculating as she was pinpointing the exact location of the acorna. "Why do you address me in such a manner? You do this with all your customers?" She stalled.

"I can easily tell that you are of noble birth, a station of high ranking. I think you're my highest I've ever had the pleasure to read." Ceraphina boasted, not helping herself, plus flattery never hurt either.

Dria considered it for a moment. She didn't think that this fortuneteller had ever addressed a queen before. "What gave me away?" With her senses she found the source of magical power emanating from the woman. It had been a bit trickier than anything else she had tried before since the girl before her could actually wield magic, a fact that surprised her.

Ceraphina had to bit back her bubbling laughter. "Your horse!" She pointed to the lumbering beast hovering just outside the tent. "The way you move, even the way you stand so perfectly still, to the way you speak. All of it gave you away."

Dria smiled when the girl called Ocean a horse, how tired he must be of hearing that, he knew that she was.

"Come sit!" Ceraphina commanded, frustrated that the lady had not ventured deeper into her tent.

Dria obeyed, getting that much more closer to the acorna that she could feel resonating with her other pieces that she carried with her.

"Would you like your fortune told?" She asked again.

The young queen shrugged her shoulders. "I do not have money to spend to get my fortune read." She was more focused on how to pilfer the acorna shard from the girl because she knew that the gypsy understood that what she had was magical.

Ceraphina made a face before smoothing it back to a pleasant mask. "Then you must have something of which to barter."

Dria looked away, tilting her head to the side as she considered, "But they are not something I will part with."

At that Ceraphina's face reverted back to a scowl. "What do you have then?" She nearly snapped.

"I have nothing. I am alone in the world."

Ceraphina didn't believe it, not a word of it. The person before her reeked of nobility and had to have something. Maybe she should give a sample of her talents before she would get anything in return.

"If I give you a fortune and you find it pleasing, then we shall work something out." Ceraphina spoke quickly and grabbed for Dria's hand. Palm reading was pretty basic, the bread and butter of fortune telling really. She took the lady's right hand and spread it out, holding it with both her hands she began to decipher.

The gypsy's eyes widened considerably as she gazed upon Dria's hand. Her line of destiny was massive and jagged, full of breaks and branches, entangled deeply within her life line and her love line. And there was something else, something mythical woven within it all. Disbelieving she quickly looked up at Dria, drinking in her features. Indeed the woman sitting before her looked more than mere nobility, she was royalty. Something had happened to this girl, something horrific and tragic.

"Who are you?" She found herself asking before she could stop herself.

"What do you mean?"

Ceraphina scrambled back and dug out an old tome from her belongings and opened the ragged pages and pulled out her tarot card deck. She quickly shuffled the deck and asked Dria to cut the deck into four piles. Ildrianna complied and awaited to see what else the gypsy would do, not knowing what to expect.

"This," She pointed to the first pile, "Will tell me about your past, this your present, and this one your immediate future." She quickly turned over the first card.

"The Empress," She whispered, quickly looking up at Dria. "She is the queen and represents great power, yet she is up-side-down. You lost it." She watched as Dria swallowed and said nothing. Ceraphina quickly went to the next deck and flipped over the card. She inhaled audibly. "The Rearing Unicorn, also up-side-down. I've never had this card turn up in any reading before. I do not know what it means, do you?"

Dria nodded, taking a moment to gaze sorrowfully at Ocean yet she did not elaborate.

Ceraphina watched the intimate look but also said nothing and instead turned over the third card. "The Tower, up-side-down. Separation. You are not going to be staying here for much longer, you will be going away from this place and will never return." Ceraphina read her interpretation. "Whether this means you will physically leave or die I do not know." It was always good to put a sinister spin on these readings, especially if her patron was wealthy. She wanted this woman eating out of he palm of her hand.

Dria merely smiled. "My fortune, though accurate, was unrevealing. I already knew all this."

"I'm not finished." Ceraphina quipped and pointed to the last deck. "This is something that you must watch out for, it may be a danger or something else." She flipped the card. "The Prince, also up-side-down." Ceraphina couldn't believe that all this woman's cards had been the wrong side up, it was a rare occurrence but not unheard of. This girl had major strife in her life.

"Again, something that I already knew." Dria sighed, unimpressed. Her thoughts drifted off to Rhalluan and pain clutched at her heart. She watched as the gypsy gathered her cards and placed them back into the deck except for the prince card. She shuffled them and waved a hand over them before telling Dria to choose three more cards.

"Why?"

"So you can find out more about this prince." Ceraphina said, exasperated. "What else?"

Dria quickly chose three more cards and placed them face down on the table. "These three cards represent the mind, heart, and soul." She quickly turned over the first card to reveal the card of Death, right side up.

"Interesting. The Prince is a harbinger of death and destruction for your life, turmoil and strife, and has taken life from you. Will you tell me what has happened?" She found herself asking before she could stop herself. This was by far the most fascinating reading she had ever done.

Dria remained silent and shook her head.

"Fine." She quickly flipped over the next card. "The card of Love. Right side up. What ever this is to you it means that you are protected by this love and no direct harm will come to you, paired with the Death card it means that this love is conflicted and full of dualities. It's dangerous yet true. Will you tell me what this is about?"

Again Dria shook her head, trembling.

Ceraphina let out a pent up breath before slapping her hand over the next card and revealing it. She gasped. "This has never happened before either!"

The card that was flipped represented the soul and the card was blank, imageless.

"What does it mean?" Dria leaned closer, frowning. Did it mean that Rhalluan had no soul? The very thought terrified her!

"Well I usually never have this card in with the deck so it must be a mistake." She scooped it up and reshuffled it back into the deck, keeping it in since it had turned up in the first place. "Choose another."

Dria quickly chose another and gave it back to the gypsy who turned it over. "This is strange…" She showed the card to Dria and again it was the blank card. "One more time." She reshuffled and again Dria chose another card and again it came up blank.

Ceraphina was shocked to the very seal of her soul. She whispered something in her native tongue, completely blown away.

"What does it mean?"

"It means just that, nothing, the future, the soul, is undecided- it's still unwritten." She placed the blank card down next to Death and Love. "Decisions still have to be made, actions must be taken before it will be decided. As of now it is all up in the air."

She gave Ildrianna the hardest look, trying to decipher her as she tried the cards but it was as if she was seeing a person for the first time, she just couldn't get a read on her except what was on the surface- which only lead her to wanting more. "Choose another card..."

Dria sighed as chose yet another card from the newly shuffled deck and flipped it over herself to reveal the blank card once more. Ceraphina snatched it from her fingertips and smiled gaily, still not believing what she was seeing. She had asked what the future was for this young woman, what was in store for her and she drew the blank card for herself as well.

"Just who are you?" She found herself asking again. She leaned in closer and showed her the deck, telling her to pick another card. She cast an eager eye about her and shivered with anticipation. It was a question she asked nearly every person who had come to her for a reading, a question that was thrown in for free since it was more for Ceraphina's gratification.

She watched, entranced as Dria chose another card. She asked her to turn it over herself and show her the card without looking on it. What she saw staring back at her was the Rearing Unicorn, right side up.

Ceraphina quickly dropped her cards and clamped her hand over Dria's that was holding the card and stared deeply into her sea foam eyes. Within those eyes she saw the depths of the sea, deep and mysterious, she could feel the turbulence of the ocean itself, feel the vastness and expanse and the wonder of it all. Within those eyes she was not reflected back, and she found it difficult to keep the eye contact because they were eyes that had looked upon a unicorn and could recall and recapture and remember the image.

"You have seen a unicorn!" Ceraphina whispered brokenly, her own eyes watering from staring too long within Ildrianna's eyes. "Where? Where?" She begged.

Dria gasped and leaned away, suddenly overwhelmed by the abrupt change in attitude from the girl in front of her. She slowly turned her head and looked back at Ocean, then to Ceraphina, then back to Ocean.

Ceraphina followed her gaze and again looked at the impressive stallion waiting patiently outside her tent. She took in the beauty of the creature, the ease and poise it possessed, the beautiful mane and tail, the more than animal eyes, and the scarring mark etched in the center of his forehead.

She knew it in her bones that what she was looking at had been a unicorn. Tears fell down her face as the heavenly creature stared back at her and kept her gaze unflinchingly, unfalteringly.

"You have something that I need." Dria spoke quietly. "Something I've been searching for for a long time."

Ceraphina tore her gaze from the glorious half beast she was staring at and again focused upon those sea foam eyes who have gazed upon unicorns. "I do not have anything of yours." She spoke defensively. As a street rat, the dregs of society, she was often the scapegoat for theft and all manners of crimes. She didn't like the accusations, regardless if some of them were true. But she believed that she possessed nothing that the lady would want.

"Not mine, his." Dria gestured towards Ocean. She reached into the folds of her frock and retrieved her own pouch and revealed to the gypsy her own collection of acorna shards. "Would you deny him what is rightfully his? Would you not help him?"

Ceraphina nearly suffocated for not breathing when she gazed upon more shards exactly like the one she had found. She had been right! What she had really did belong to a unicorn! Without thinking she reached into her purse and pulled out her own shard and laid it beside it's sister shards. Now she considered herself the kind of person who would look the other way when people needed help, she had never received any why should she dole it out to ungrateful bastards? She was not moved by petty stories nor tearful begging. Her heart was not big enough to house such kindness.

Yet as she gazed upon Ocean she knew that she had to help. Since this creature wasn't human her heart was big enough to help a unicorn.

Her life had just gotten more interesting.

* * *

This chapter didn't turn out quite like I expected it to, and I accidentally added a new character into the story…

So this is a pretty long chapter (19 pages- yikes- but I thought you patient people wouldn't mind it), I hope you like this update!

I'd like to thank 365 Pages of Awesomeness, Cat, and Saz for reviewing!I'm glad you're enjoying this story.

Saz- I own two horses and adore them so when ever I need inspiration I just walk out to my pasture. So I appreciate your love for them as well. Da Vinci said that the horse is the most god-like animal next to people. And don't worry, every story I write has a happy ending.

Cat- I'm so glad you're liking this story! Hopefully with these new updates will satisfy you until the next update!

365 Pages of Awesomeness- Your wish, my command! It's been a while and I'm always thankful for your well of patience! I hope you like these new updates!

Please read and review! I'd love to hear feedback!


	13. The Calm Before

**The Calm Before**

Logen was almost in a blind panic while searching for Dria. He had discovered her missing just as he and his father had reached the foreign market district. He exclaimed his surprise and worry to his father but he reasoned that she must have been caught on some merchant stall. He sent his son to go fetch her.

That was two hours ago.

Logen had returned to his father pale faced and on the brink of panic. All his father told him was to stay calm and to search every street and alleyway. They split up to find her, to cover more ground, and Logen was mounted on Calwel to keep his form in plain sight, in case Dria was frantically searching for him as well.

He combed the city of Inverness, going up and down the streets, calling to any woman who even resembled the fair maiden- but to flag down every fair face was proving to be the wrong method to this madness. He ran a hand through his ragged hair, craning his neck this way and that, trying desperately to catch a glimpse of Ocean and his rider.

To his left Logen caught the beginnings of a scuffle- a man was trying to lure a woman to the back of an alley, propositioning for a good time. The woman was resisting his advances, squawking about the price. No money up front, then there wasn't going to be a good time later.

His stomach sank as a brawl ensued. What is Dria was approached in the same manner?

He shook his head. No, Ocean was a fine animal and very protective of his mistress. There was no way that the stallion would let any hard come to her. He patted Calwel, wishing again he had such a mighty steed underneath him like Ocean. Logen rubbed his withers, sighing as he said, "I don't suppose you can find Ocean, can you Calwel?"

Calwel's ears flickered back towards his rider. Bobbing his head he freed the reins from his master's hands. Logen let them fall across the gelding's neck, rubbing his eyes from straining. There were so many possibilities. The entire time he was searching and moving about the city, Dria could be doing the same. Finding a moving target was a hell of a lot harder than a stationary one. He wasn't completely sure if Dria would try to find her own way back or not.

Calwel began walking with the flow of the foot traffic and Logen allowed him.

The day was nearing its end and Logen didn't know what he was going to do when darkness fell. He looked about himself hopelessly at the faceless crowd. None of the eyes that peered up at him were the familiar sea tossed orbs of Dria.

Before he knew it Logen was near the edge of town, entering the the shanty part of the city that was filled with hood rats, gypsies, and other low-lives- most unsavory. Calwel plodded slowly through the lively crowd, slowly but with purpose. Since this was a new part of the city he had yet to comb over he allowed his horse to walk at his will. Honestly, Logen didn't know where else to look besides returning to his brother's forge.

Lost in worry and thought he hardly realized that the chestnut had stopped. Logen took up the reins and made to take back control but Calwel jerked the reins forcefully from his head, dipping his head low to the ground and arching his head up and out.

"Calwel!" Logen snapped, lunging after the reins. He had lost his patience and wasn't in the mood for the gelding's old tricks.

The chestnut nickered loudly, and there was an answering response.

Logen jerked his head up and laid eyes upon the a horse that couldn't possibly be blue, but it was.

"Ocean!" Logen nearly sobbed in relief as seeing the giant steed- but was stopped when his stomach fell through his body when he noticed that Ocean was alone and riderless. He urged Calwel onward with a rough tap of his heels, he couldn't reach the stallion fast enough.

"Where is she?"

What if she were in trouble? What if somehow, the two had gotten separated? What if Dria was all alone? That thought alone twisted his gut. He was very protective of the girl and to see her trusty horse without her was nothing short of alarming. What if Ocean was searching for his master just as Logen was searching for Dria? There were too many questions and there were no obvious answers.

Ocean touched noses with Calwel for a moment and the gelding stilled under the attentions. Ocean puffed warm air in the chestnut's face, regarding his stable companion with gentle gaze before turning his attention to his rider. The stallion neighed and turned on his heel, Calwel was quick to follow without any encouragement from his rider. The stallion allowed the gelding to walk at his side, the great size of the beast clearly overshadowing his companion. Logen kept a hand on Ocean's back, just to be sure that what was happening was real.

He didn't understand how Calwel found Ocean, nor could he really understand how Ocean seemed to appear out of thin air. But what he did understand was that if he followed Ocean, Dria was surely to turn up somewhere. His nerves couldn't take much more of this.

For several long moments Ocean weaved through an active crowd. Evening was settling in and the gypsy camp was coming alive with activity. Fires and torches were being lit, music was being played, gatherings were converging at various tents, children ran about in wild freedom- not at all ready to wind down from the day's events. The people indigenous to Inverness were retreating further into the city limits, becoming less and less tolerant as the noise level began to increase. Meals were being roasted over spits and pits, wafting fragrant and savory smokes into the air. In the night these people suddenly became alive.

Logen was losing his patience with the situation. The noise and den of the people around him were setting him on edge. All around him he saw the faces of people who could possibly do harm to Dria, around him was a world he knew little of. His father had never really allowed him to interact with the Rom who set up camp on Artair's land during the summer months. The Rom were fearsome and very protective of their own, and they never allowed their own to venture to near Logen's home. His father had always told him to keep his guard up when it came to gypsy folk, because they had perfected the slight of hand and the silver tongue.

Logen was startled from his thoughts when he felt that Ocean had stopped, and through him, Calwel had halted as well.

They were in front of a tent that was covered in layers of rugs and woven blankets. There was a soft light from within and the sound of female voices.

Logen dismounted quickly from Calwel and slowly approached the tent.

"He should be here by now... No, I will go check again."

From within the tent a young woman appeared, dressed in fantastic color, with cinnamon hair and eyes green as jade and were slanted like that of a cat's. She was beautiful and exotic, her lips rosy and full of pout. She stopped and stared for a moment, appraising her new guest with a look of sudden impatience and exasperation.

She popped out a hip as she crossed her arms over her chest, her bangles and bells all chiming haughtily with the gesture, she completed the action with a roll of her eyes.

"Hm-," Ceraphina snorted, "It's about time you showed up, you were starting to make me look bad."

* * *

King Oorlin looked down his nose at the creature. It's vibrant coat made dull, matted with mud and dried blood. Its side's heaved heavily to gasp a better amount of air. Its legs shivered and wavered where it stood. What ever proud and arrogant part of the creature that was left within was not showing in any way now.

"Has it said anything more?" He question.

"No, my king. Only what I have already reported."

"I expected more." Oorlin paced at bit, clearly displeased.

A hint of fear entered the soldier's voice. "I have done all that I could. The information you seek is no longer within."

"What do you mean?" The king's pacing stopped. His heavy boots coming to a stop, his sweeping cloak settling to hide his frame once more.

"His soul is no longer within his body, and no matter how much I torture that body- if I cannot reach the soul where the answer lies- then there is nothing that I can do." The soldier explained, his voice wavering. He never liked much to be in the king's presence, and he didn't like the fact that he was under the king's direct focus. How prince Rhalluan could stand it, he didn't know.

"Then you've broke him."

"Yes, my king."

"Isn't that the very thing I told you to avoid?" King Oorlin's voice slithered with awful promise.

"Yes, my king."

"And you failed." Oorlin's eyes flashed dangerously.

The soldier hesitated. "Yes, my king."

Oorlin turned away from soldier and looked about the dungeonus carvern in which they presided. There were natural catacombs within the bowls of the Balinor Palace. It was a vertible maze, and the king of Vurinada was having them explored. Some passages led to the mountains, other to the sea. And still more lead to no where and to places yet to be discovered. It was here that the king sent people down, and they rarely came back alive. There was a reason why the king's forces called the treacherous tunnels the Knox Void.

"Do you think that celestial unicorns grow on trees, captain?" He asked mildly.

From behind, the soldier flinched. It was said that the more pleasant the king's voice became, the more dangerous he was to those around him. People had the habit dying around the man.

"Of course not, my king."

"My men went through great lengths to capture this beast. And I had planned on so much more for the little thing." He turned on his heel and regarded the sage unicorn. The celestial beasts were hard to come by, he was beginning to understand why his son was experiencing so much trouble in finding them. In fact, it was rather difficult to find any sort of unicorn lately. And the very thing that he had been hoping to discover eluded him once again.

The door leading into the Celestial Valley.

That was what he wanted so desperately! If he knew where the door was then he could invade the Valley and perform the perfect preemptive strike. His domination of the region would be completed and the neighboring kingdoms would surely fall. Everything he looked upon would be his and his alone.

And once he obtained that information?

He looked down on the trembling sage celestial. Its head hung low to the floor, its breathing harsh and hitched.

"Can he be turned?"

The soldier shook his head, "No, my king, his mind must be present. If there is no mind then there is nothing to turn."

"Then what should we do with this broken thing?" King Oorlin asked rhetorically.

The soldier remained silent.

"Sever the horn. Harvest the jewel." He turned his cruel dark eyes towards the pathetic creature. "Collect the blood."

The Green celestial hardly flinched at the verdict, indeed he welcomed the thought of death. He had dishonored himself by being caught, and disgraced his herd-mates by telling the dread king the particulars about the wild energies of the Gap. His only solace was the oblivion that was death, it was the only way that he could garner forgiveness from the Father above. It was the only way Numinor could look upon these events and not be lost shame and anger.

He could feel the chains being loosened around him, could feel the brutal tugging of his torturers as they heaved him further into darkness, further away from the light of the sun, the stars, and the moon. He was gripped by sudden fear. He did not want to die in darkness. He did not want to die completely alone.

It was said that in times like these, those who betrayed their brothers and sisters would be left in darkness. He feared such torment. All around him was the scent of death and fear, it filled his nostrils and reached that part of his mind that made his body freeze and lock limb. He couldn't go down there, not alone!

"Forward, you beast!" Came the harsh cutting words of the soldier and the crack of whip against hide.

No! His body screamed.

_Its alright, my dear one. Be not afraid. _

That silvery voice was like a cure that washed over his entire body, a balm that obliterated the pain and confusion that was now his life. He was no longer afraid, and couldn't think of a right reason that he was so to begin with. The voice came with a soft light that was gentle and nurturing. From the darkness it loomed like a saving hand, wrapping around the Green's form, banishing all connection to the world in which he had be born to.

"What manner of magic is this?" Cried a voice.

"I do not know, my king!"

_There is no more struggle. Come peaceful, and you shall be rewarded._

The Green relaxed in all measure of the word and embraced the silvery voice, the silvery light. He felt his soul expand, cramped within his now mortal body. He wished to break free, and the light gave him the power to do so. With a sigh the Green left his body and disappeared within the light.

All that was left behind was a brilliant shimmer and the Sage disappeared. His shackles fell to the floor in a cacophonous clatter as if he never were.

"Guards!" Screamed the king.

In an instant there was a small collection of soldiers at the king's beck and call.

"Seize the captain, he helped the celestial escape!" He accused.

"No! My king, your Immanence, I would never do such a thing! I have served you faithfully!" But his words were cut short as a team of soldiers pounced upon him, gripping his frame tightly and unforgivably.

"Kill him."

And the soldiers obliged. Better it be him than them. Better that this one should die instead of themselves. The king could have said anything he wanted, and any and all would obey- if not to meet his fury. Where his son had the strength of will and body on the battlefield, his father had an altogether different strength- the strength of word.

And with his word the deed was done and the king did not think twice of the captain who had served him faithfully, nor that he knew that he had not helped the unicorn escape. He only thought of the next step, for everything was a great game. He was the king who had lost a queen, and though he had to sacrifice a few pawns, his son the would be prince was next.

"Summon Rhalluan, he has a duty to perform."

This time...

This time he would not fail.

* * *

"What to you mean? Who are you? Where is Dria?" Logen gritted out between clenched teeth.

"I still need to account and adjust for free will... That's what putting me off time..." Ceraphina mused to herself. In her heavily bracelet hand was a tarot card- The Messenger. She stared at it thoughtfully. "I predicted you would come but..." She looked up at the stars and the positioning of the moon. "My timing was off."

"What are you talkin' about? Where is Dria?" Logen sputtered. "Dria? Dria! _Dria!_" He roared.

"Stop your shouting, you'll draw unwanted attention-" Ceraphina began before she was cut off. Dria had exited her tent, her face flushed with relief at having laid eyes upon Logen.

"Logen! You found me!" She meant to meet him but she was met half way as Logen rushed to her side. But instead of being relieved as she was, his face was contorted in rage.

Logen grasped Dria by the shoulders, making the girl wince within his vice like grip.

"JUST WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?" Roared Logen, shaking her as he spoke. "What would make you wander off in a city as big as Inverness? You could have been kidnapped or _worse!_"

"But I-" She tried to interject.

"You _knew_ where we were supposed to go! _Why_ didn't you _ask_ for directions?"

The thought actually never occurred to Dria. She knew where Artair and Logen would be going, and even if she didn't know the actual complex Scottish name, she could have described it to a citizen here and would have been able to show her the way. Why didn't she think of that? In her moment of panic she did exactly what she wasn't supposed to do.

At her face of dawning Logen nearly pushed her away in disgust. "Are you really that _naïve_? Do you know 'ow worried I've been, frantically searchin' for you? My father and brother are out there," He flung an arm back in the direction of town, "Now, still searchin' for you? And to find you here consortin' with _gypsies!_" He spat the word, shaking her for emphasis. "What were you thinkin'?" He shouted again.

"Hey, now see here!" Ceraphina tried to intervene for the girl's defense but failed.

Tears pricked the back of her eyes at Logen's temper and tone. She had never seen him so furious, not even when she went riding out alone during the winter or when she got into a fight with him at the pond. He was frightening.

"Logen, I'm sorry. I-" She stuttered out an apology.

"You're sorry. Of course your sorry. From your esteemed breedin' I'd thought you 'ave a better '_ead on your shoulders!" _He bit out. "By Danu, Dria! You coulda been killed!" He roared, his brogue slurring in and out- he was beyond livid, he was past the point of fury. He she was, completely fine, making his entire family worried to death as to her where-abouts. And the fact that he found her with the likes of gypsies, a very devious group of people- he just couldn't contain it any longer.

"I've kept her safe. Nothing happened to her or ever will happen to her so long as I live and breathe! Go easy on the girl, she was lost! It's not her fault- she is not of this world!" Ceraphina tried to pry Logen's grip from Dria's shoulders. "Leave her alone!"

All his anxiety, all his rage, worry, frantic searching, the unbelievable urge to protect and love her came flooding out of him like a whirlwind- and he was taking it out on the object of his desire and frustration.

"Stay out of this, gypsy!" Logen snarled, his furious gaze turning towards her, throwing off her offending appendage.

Ceraphina fell back heavily to the ground, but was up on her feet in an instant, drawing forth a dirk from within the folds of her skirt. Within the blink of an eye she had the blade resting at Logen's throat, the pressure she gave the weapon drew blood. "Let her go." She said steadily.

Logen froze, nostrils flared. "You dare wield a dagger against me?" He spoke to her in his native tongue. He held his breath on the blade, causing it to fog a bit from it.

Ceraphina smiled wickedly. "I hold your life's breath upon this blade, your life is mine to take." She answered him back, retaining English so that the girl in front of her could benefit from it.

Everything around them froze. Ceraphina held her own against the highland Scotsman, and Logen's body was trembling from inaction, with Dria the helpless bystander caught in the middle.

Dria burst into tears and that was Ocean's limit. The indigo stallion shrieked shrilling into the night and knocked his body ruthlessly against Logen's, knocking him to the ground. This freed both Dria and Ceraphina, springing them into action. The gypsy girl pulled Dria back to the safety of the campfire, away from Logen and her unicorn, using her body as a shield against them both.

"Stay behind me." She told her fiercely.

Logen rolled to his side, trying to get away from Ocean's iron hooves as the beast half reared and came crashing back down to the earth. The Kiss upon his hand flashed brightly for a brief moment, connecting the two males.

_Step away from her! _Came a thundering voice that slid powerfully across Logen's mind. Instantly he knew it was Ocean's voice- that same baritone from before when he had connected with him then in the stable.

Logen crawled away from the scene, as much as Ocean would let him. He wasn't sure if the creature wanted to trample him to death in his own ire or for the sake of his lady spare him.

Finally the stallion seemed pleased with the distance and retreated back towards his lady, circling her, nosing the gypsy away so that he alone could console her. Ceraphina graciously stepped away, only to glare and brandish her dirk to the interloper.

Logen coughed, just now realizing the wind had been knocked out from him during the fall. He clutched his throat, feeling the wetness beneath his hand. He pulled it back to reveal the blood. He stared balefully at the gypsy witch in front of him, then towards Dria's sobbing form and Ocean's protective stance.

A part of him broke then- he felt like he was suddenly an outsider to their world. The green eyed girl had said that Dria was not of this world- which meant that the noblewoman had told her her story. The gypsy had believed her- and what proof had she seen? Logen had seen much but was still skeptical. He could see that the females had bonded- they had a connection that he was not a part of. He had only been worried for Dria's welfare yet he knew he had been too rough on her. All his emotions just came raging to the surface! It was no excuse but couldn't she see he cared for her?

"Cannot ye see I care for ye." He whispered shamefully in Gaelic.

Ceraphina's interest in the matter was peaked at his words. She glanced back at the young woman behind her, knowing full well that she didn't understand his words.

Logen looked back to Inverness and the budding lights from homes and dwellings. He wiped the moisture from his eyes but a few tears slipped past.

"Go hifreann é," He swore, getting to his feet.

* * *

Rhalluan approached the Balinor throne with a sense of trepidation. He was without his steed, since they were not permitted within the throne room- ever since the king's attack on his son Oorlin had forbidden the Shadow unicorns entrance with the real pretense of not allowing Harbinger to come to the prince's rescue. Though others were not privy to the particulars of the new edict's origins.

What once used to be a bright and vibrant room was now sallow and dank- no longer the lively place he remembered from his boyhood. He remembered the first time he had visited the castle- it was the first time he had seen the real king and queen, and their spirited unruly daughter, princess Ildrianna.

While there was a meeting of the nobles Rhalluan had been forced to play with the girl. She had been young, maybe six or seven, and he had been around twelve. He found the idea of playing with a little girl quite annoying- but she had led him on a merry adventure in which he nearly lost her several times.

Then he had been furious with the girl, now he looked back on the memory in fondness. He had found the princess in the palace gardens behind the rose bushes in a surprising moment of reflection. She was absently weaving a crown of flowers as she sat- her face drawn up in a pout. Instead of yelling at the girl for trying to lose him he sat down next to her and watched as her fingers worked.

"What's the matter princess- did I not find you quick enough?" He asked.

"No." She said sadly.

They sat in silence for a moment. Ildrianna turned the flowers she held in her hand around and about within her hands, adding more and more flowers, making the woven ring stronger. She used little flowers of yellow and orange, and purples and blues. Only in the front did she use large white and pink flowers.

"I don't want to be queen." She declared suddenly.

Rhalluan was surprised at the statement. "It will be a long time before you become queen, you'll change your mind once you're older." He reasoned, what woman wouldn't want power? His mother had sought to usurp his father- a plot he had yet to connect with her.

"No, I won't ever want to be queen!" The princess protested in earnest, clutching her flower ring tightly.

Curious, he asked why.

"I will always be told what to do." She informed him gravely.

Rhalluan laughed at that.

"Don't laugh! It's true! Momma is always busy, running around, always tired. Everyone is always telling her what to do, even papa." Ildrianna set the flower crown down carefully and hugged her knees to her chest. Her oceanic eyes gleaming from unshed tears, a look of anguish contorting her face. Suddenly her gaze looked beyond her years. "Momma is always saying that it is her duty to papa, and to the people, that she has to sacrifice herself for the good of us all." The little girl trembled. "If thats what it means to be queen I don't want to!"

For a moment all Rhalluan could do was stare. He was amazed that she had put so much thought into this. She was just a small child and already she felt the weight of the world on her shoulders.

He placed a comforting hand around her shoulders and tugged her close to his form, lending her his strength for the moment. "If your mother has a boy, then you won't have to be queen. You can stay a princess forever." He smiled down at her.

She poked her head up and looked at him, her sea foam eyes captivating. She wiped her nose. "Papa doesn't know that I was listening, but the doctor told momma that she shouldn't have another baby. If she does she might die." She trembled under his touch. Rhalluan thought of the queen's delicate nature.

"I don't want her to die..." She gurgled past a choking sob.

In that moment he grabbed Ildrianna and brought her to his chest in a fierce hug, smoothing back her hair as he rocked her crying form within his arms. He let her cry, he knew that she hadn't for some time, and all that pressure she felt within her body had built into something insurmountable. Crying was her way of releasing some of that pressure. He hummed to her quietly, not knowing what else to do. His mother used to do that when he was upset like this. It always seemed to help him.

After a moment it seemed to work on her as she began to quiet herself.

"Are you feeling better?" He asked her, lifting her chin up to his face so he could see her clearly.

She nodded, sniffing loudly.

He smiled gently and fished in his pocket for his kerchief. His mother always made him carry one, 'Just in case', she told him. He pulled out the delicate gray and red thread and gave it to the princess. She took it and rather loudly blew her nose, moped up her face, and promptly handed it back to him with a quiet 'thank you'.

"You keep it."

"Ok."

They sat in silence for a moment, mostly because Rhalluan didn't know what else to say, and partly because Ildrianna was still focusing on her problem about becoming queen- a thought that preoccupied her mind rather frequently. Another part of her problem was-

"I don't have a king either!" She announced. She got to her feet in exasperation.

Rhalluan didn't understand her thought process.

"Momma said she couldn't rule Balinor alone- she needed a king. I don't have a king, so how can I rule?" She explained.

The queen was not a royal by blood, though she was a lady of a lord. Because of this she didn't have the right to rule. If the king were to die she would remain reagent until Ildrianna came of age, afterward she would have to step down. Such were the politics of the time. Ildrianna was a legitimate heir because of her father's royal blood. And because of that blood Ildrianna could rule her country without a king at her side. The little princess didn't seem to understand the concept.

"I'll be your king, then." He told her simply to stop her worrying.

Her eyes lit up with happiness. "You will?" She chirped.

"If you can't find your own king, then I'll be your king." He told her to reassure her.

Ildrianna skipped about in joy, her burden slightly lighter and her world slightly brighter. The display was incredibly endearing and Rhalluan couldn't help but smile as she danced about. She picked up her crown of flowers and spun about.

"With you as king, I know everything will be okay." She kept spinning until she fell over spread eagle in the grass, her chest puffing from the exertion.

Rhalluan leaned towards her. "What makes you say that?"

Ildrianna looked up at him from behind her bangs. From this angle he blocked out the sun, creating a halo of light around him. She smiled up at him, "Because you always find him when we play hide-and-seek."

She suddenly leaned up and placed the crown of flowers on the top of his head. Rhalluan didn't want to know how ridiculous he must look at the moment, and while he was preoccupied with the fact that his head was covered in flowers the little princess kissed him on the cheek.

Rhalluan jerked back, surprised at her sudden boldness, and he couldn't stop the blush that was rushing to the surface of his face.

"You have to promise, Rhal." Ildrianna spoke, suddenly serious again.

"Promise what?" He asked a little peeved, rubbing the kiss away from his cheek as best as he could, but he could still feel it on his skin, like she had branded him.

"You have to promise that you'll be my king if I can't find one."

Rhalluan just scowled at her, glancing up at his flowery crown.

"Promise." She said again.

"Ok, fine, Dria. I promise I'll be your king."

Rhalluan looked about the throne room through a window that lead out to the gardens. They were in neglect and the splendor that it once was fell to the wayside just as the rest of the castle. It all seemed so long ago.

"You've kept me waiting." Barked king Oorlin.

Rhalluan had to shake himself from his thoughts and bring himself back to the present. He knew he was walking into a deadly situation. All along the walls were heavily armored men with pikes- the king's personal guard, men who were utterly loyal to Oorlin and to no other. And he, Rhalluan, was alone with no guard outfitting his visit. No bonded unicorn at his side. The only thing that could possibly protect him was the bitch at his back.

"I wasn't aware that you were on such a tight schedule." Came his reply.

"I'm creating an empire, of course I'm on a time schedule." His father barked in exasperation. He leaned forward in his new throne, his boney fingers encased in gauntlets and fish scale armor to his lack of physical prowess.

"My apologies," The words were like acid on his tongue, bitter and distasteful, "What would you have me do?"

Oorlin snorted, "Your _king_ has a task for you of up-most priority."

Rhalluan fell on bended knee before his father, his head bowed so that his father could not see the scowl upon his face. What could be more important that ridding the land of the Resistence? What could be more important than finding more celestial acorna?

When the king found that Rhalluan remained silent he continued. "I want you to journey to the Gap as quickly as possible. Bring a small battalion with you to make sure your journey is as smooth as possible- your most trusted men, mind you.

"There you will cross to the Other Side, find Ildrianna and end her."

Rhalluan's eyes widened. "You cannot mean this." Spilled the words before he could stop them.

"Mean what?" The king goaded, if the prince resisted his duty then the king could dispose of him that much more quickly, and a public execution would do his people good.

"You must have new information on the Gap."

The king frowned. "Indeed."

"Then you must have in your possession a celestial unicorn." Rhalluan looked up, his eyes filled with yearning at his conclusions. Another piece of acorna would be in his hands, he only needed a few more to completed his weapon of power.

The king could see his son's lust, and he quickly wished to squash it. "I did, but the creature was disposed of, turned to ash and dust."

Rhalluan's mouth pursed into a thin line of disapproval. His father was entirely too wasteful, drunk on his own power and image and false sense of strength.

"What would you have me do?" He repeated, bowing his head once again.

That's better... The king thought. "You are to wait for the full moon, there your Shadow unicorns will wait for the Gap to open and create a bridge to the world. You will cross that bridge to the Other Side, find the imposter queen and end her."

"The Dreamspeaker intends to bring the queen back through the Gap?" Rhalluan asked, looking up at his father who nodded. "Then why not let us wait on this Side and spear her as she comes through?" anything to avoid crossing over, his father was definitely trying to get rid of him.

"I will not have the bitch set foot back into the lands of Balinor. If the people here were to get wind of it they would rally against me, she would join the Resistance and try to depose me!" His paranoia was in full effect. Rhalluan realized that a part of his father was fearful of Ildrianna. "I will not let a shred of hope thrive in Vurinada when it comes to the people of Balinor! They must realize that the strongest to rule is myself, and only myself!"

His voice rang out within the throne room, filling the dank environment. Rhalluan was unaffected. As far as he was concerned his father was only showing his weakness.

"_So you wish to send your only son to cross over to the Other Side, with the possibility of never returning? Your only heir_?" Came a sickly whisper.

Silence followed.

"Who said that?" King Oorlin questioned.

No one answered.

"_Who said that?_" Mocked the voice.

"I did, you fool." Answered the king.

Rhalluan suddenly pitched forward and uttered out a strangled cry of pain as he clutched his back. It began to spasm painfully, twisting his body unnaturally.

Oorlin stood at once and threw a hand before his face as if to protect himself. His personal guard moving into an attack stance, lowering their pikes at the prince's prone form.

"Ciaran!" He panted out, gritting his teeth together he hissed in pain. Darkness erupted from his back in a swirling pattern of death. The lights around them dimmed, and a sense of suffocation spread and permeated the room, crushing the breath out of everyone's chest. Most of the guard began to waver in their duty, using their weapons to help prop their own bodies up.

"What sort of magic is this?" Oorlin spoke, his voice quivering. He watched the darkness rise and embrace his son like a lover would, watched how it began to take the form of a shadow unicorn. A horn arched out from the creature's forehead, gnarled and curving, like a rapier sword arching out to spear the air. A phantom mouth opened and let loose a clarion call that was ear splitting, making the king cover his ears to block the painful peal of sound.

"_You will not be rid of me so easily!"_

"Ciaran!" Rhalluan tried to reign in his terror that he had unleashed unto the world.

The dark Archon arched into the air and came into her form, a smoking horror with eyes that burned with a hatred too deep for words and they bore into the form of the king, pure fury, pure hatred, all directed at him. She reared into the air, screamed once more and vaulted towards the king. Oorlin yelped in fear and sank to his knees in cowardice, his guards were too stunned to move to protect their king. The phantom charged through the king, turning his blood to ice, taking his breath away.

"Out! Get him out of here!" He screeched. "Get him out of my sight!"

As the Archon disappeared her strangle hold upon the room had vanished and suddenly the guards were snapped into action. The king was furious, wanting nothing more than to be rid of his bastard son.

"You are not welcomed back here until you have killed the girl!" He screamed. "Do you hear me!"

All Rhalluan could do was remain silent as pain lanced through his body as his father's personal guard threw him out of the throne room and onto the her stone of the Great Hall.

* * *

"Logen, you have to let me explain." Dria said brokenly as she sat near Ceraphina's fire.

The gypsy has calmed down and had finally sheathed her dagger and began to make herself some dinner. She did not share with the others.

"Then explain it to me, Dria." He snapped. He sat away from the fire, closer to darkness, with his arms crossed defensively across his chest.

"I'm trying..." She was nearly to tears again. She took a deep breath and clutched her bag close to her chest. Opening it carefully she began to take out the pieces of Ocean's acorna and laid them out into the light. "I found the last piece, Logen."

Logen turned to look at her collection.

"Do you know what this means?" She asked him breathlessly.

He remained taciturn.

"It means you're almost finished in turning Ocean back to normal." Ceraphina supplied as she took a bite of her roasted hen. She had scored a few pieces on a stick and held it over the fire to roast.

Dria smiled over at the girl, but the smile faded as she turned to stare at Logen. He refused to speak with her much. He had left for a time to return to the forge to find hi brother and father, telling him that he found Ildrianna. He returned some time later- Dria refused to leave Ceraphina's side until she explained the entire story.

"Ceraphina had been using her piece of the horn to perform magic. That was how I was able to sense it. But what gives me the most hope is that she says that she can restore the dead piece! She can breathe new life into it." Dria couldn't contain her excitement. She looked over at Logen but he remained unresponsive.

"She knows the druid ritual," Logen scoffed at hearing that, "That will be able to fix the dead acorna. She said the ceremony will have to take place on the after the new moon. Because then the piece will reflect the moon growing in strength."

Silence rang through the trio, only the crackling fire and the smoking embers providing any sort of break.

"Logen?" Probed Dria.

"What?"

"What do you think?"

Logen snorted, expelling a breath of annoyance. "Most druid magic 'tis forbidden, they are a feared cult, Dria. And most of their rituals involve blood sacrifices."

Dria said nothing.

"If Ocean really 'tis a unicorn, would you want his horn to be tainted by such magic?" He asked, there was a mean edge to his voice.

Ceraphina rose in indignation. "Oh please! Like _I_ would want to perform such a heinous act! Give me a little more credit than that, you brute."

"Druid magic 'tis dark magic." Logen growled.

"Druid magic is nature's magic. Nature is not good or evil, it is powerful." The girl countered.

Logen scoffed at that but turned away.

Ceraphina turned to Dria. "Please don't insult me by thinking I would perform blood magic on something so innocent and pure. The ritual I want to perform relies on the healing energies of nature herself."

"I do no doubt you." Dria nodded. Thought she doubted the girl would help her directly, she seemed eager of the chance to help Ocean, and that was something the queen was willing to chance upon this unique woman.

"You trust her? You just met her!" Logen exclaimed.

"She is the only one I have found in the place that can help me!" Dria nearly shouted back. She was getting irritated that Logen wasn't on board like she thought he would.

"You don't know her at all! She could be takin' advantage of you!" Logen too, got to his feet when he saw Ceraphina bristle at his accusation.

"Maybe at first, but that was before I saw her eyes." She said defensively.

Logen pointed at her, "You see? She even admits it!" He looked at Dria. "You heard her, or are you daft?"

"I believe she will help me." Dria said sternly.

Ceraphina approached Logen and stood toe to toe with him, she reached to his chin, so she had to tilt her head back to look him in the eye. Unnerved by her sudden behavior he made to look away but she grabbed his chin and forced him to look at her. Her eyes widened.

"Your eyes have not seen a unicorn." She told him. She grabbed his left hand and looked upon his Kiss. She hissed in frustration and threw his hand away from her, stepping back from him. "Yet you've been Kissed! And you still do not believe?"

Logen remained silent.

"Your eyes are flat, they hold no depth, they reflect what you see, which makes them empty. Such are the eyes that have never seen a unicorn." She seemed rather smug of the fact. She crossed her arms over her chest. She turned to Dria.

"I promise to perform the ritual, after the new moon has passed. I ask only one boon in return."

"What would you ask?"

"I wish to travel with you on your journey."

"Absolutely not!" Logen answered for her. "She canna come with us."

"Logen." Dria tried to calm him.

"No, she is not welcomed in my father's house." He seethed.

"I am not asking to come with you, Logen, I am asking to follow Lady Ildrianna and her unicorn Ocean."

"Both of whom reside within my father's house." He snarled.

Ceraphina smiled candidly. "You act as though she is going to remain there."

That made Logen froze. Wasn't she? He turned to Dria, and her face was full of conflicted emotion.

"Aren't you?" He asked aloud.

All Dria could do was shake her head, and with that answer came the breaking of Logen's heart.

* * *

So forgive me for my long absence, but I plan on posting more chapters now that this crazy semester is done. A lot is happening in this chapter, and a lot more is happening in the next chapter.

Thank you 365 Pages Of Awesomeness for reviewing, I hope my long absence has not made you forget about this story!

Thank you little-witch-hunter for reviewing! Your words humble me.

And gogogadget... What can I say other than that this is not intended to be a book to replace any of the Unicorn of Balinor books, and I would like to say that you should actually read to comprehend, not read to skim.

Please Read and Review!


	14. The Storm

**The Storm**

* * *

Ceraphina had prepared herself for the task at hand. She had painted many protective runes upon her skin to protect her from evil, what ever it may be. Evil came in all manner of forms and it could summon itself of its own accord, attracted to the energy she would be using tonight. Evil spirits could try to steal the power away.

Upon her face she bore the markings of he power of earth, fire, and water; the elements she would call upon to help her. She mixed soil with water into a thick white paste, dipped three fingers of either hand and smeared three lines on either side of her face. She started at her cheeks then trailed down her neck, coming together and ending near her heart. Next, she burned freshly cut wood and sage and burned them in a fire, gathered the ashes, and smeared the blackness across her forehead.

She made sure her arms were covered in all her metal bangles she owned. The metal helped to strengthen her power to conduct energies.

The gypsy dressed as an earth mother would, adorning her hair with bits of feathers, twigs, leaves, and even flowers, creating a wild heathen headdress. Her breasts were wrapped tightly and securely, leaving her stomach, shoulders, and most of her back uncovered by fabric. Her golden skin was instead covered with tattoos of runes and spells. The inks were of blood red, oily black, and new ones of bright turquoise. Around her waist was a simple wrapped skirt with a belt laden with talismans and totems. Each was different and made from different earthly materials that served a simple purpose: to protect and magnify. Her feet were bare to be closer to the earth.

Inside, Ceraphina felt ever inch a warrior ready for battle.

In the woods she prepared an earthen mound of purified earth. To prepare the alter she cleared the surrounding area of all debris and blessed the ground as she went. She whispered prayers to the surrounding trees to serve as protectors during the up coming ceremony painted protective runes upon the bark for good measure.

One the sun vanished from the horizon she summoned Ildrianna and her companions to the woods to join her for the ritual.

"Step into the clearing." She commanded to the trio, her voice unwavering.

Dria wrapped a hand around a piece of Ocean's mane and stepped into the dimly lit clearing. She was bit uneasy.

"In or out?" Ceraphina asked as he approached Logen, her hazel eyes made bright and fierce from the ash that outlined them.

Logen breathed deep as he took it all in. He had to hand it to Ceraphina, she looked positively ethereal and completely wild. The clearing was scantily lit with lanterns that were tied to tree. The trees themselves were painted intricately with runes. There was nothing in the clearing except an altar. On the ground was something Logen had never seen before, but he could only describe it as a carved geometric design. He took in Ceraphina's appearance once more and snorted, he almost believed she would do what she said she could.

He answered her question by stepping into the clearing with his arms crossed over his chest.

Logen expected her to make some snide comment about the gesture but she merely nodded solemnly and walked towards the queen and her bonded.

"When the moon reveals itself from the cloud cover the ceremony will begin. I will try." She said quietly.

Ildrianna nodded, stroking Ocean's mane.

"There are still a few things we need to do to prepare. First, is the cleansing." Reaching for her belt and she pulled away a pouch and loosened the drawstrings. With a light hand she pinched out some salt and approached the altar, recited a quick and murmured prayer and dashed it quickly.

Logen gaped. Salt wasn't something you just threw on the ground! He even thought tossing salt over our shoulder to prevent evil spirits, witches, or the devil from following you was preposterous.

"Salt is like gold, you know." He bit out.

"Salt," Ceraphina said loudly and with authority, "Is a purifier." She began walking carefully around the altar, making sure to not step on and blur the lines of the design on the ground. She began reciting prayers and tossing salt everywhere she stepped.

Her mouth never stopped moving, never stopped murmuring.

"What is this drawing on the ground?" Logen found himself asking.

His question remained unanswered for some time. It was clear that Ceraphina would not cease her mantra until her task was done. Her singular focus was astounding and impressive, something that was not lost on Dria nor on Logen. He was finding himself begrudgingly respect the little gypsy.

"It is a mandala." She finally answered. When both Logen and Dria gave her a quizzical look she elaborated. "It is a sacred symbol with four gates." She pulled Dria to one point in the design with Ocean ushered to stand opposite of her. "North and south," She murmured. She gestured for Logen to stand where she was, then walked to stand opposite of him. "East and west."

Logen found that the altar was now in the middle of them all.

"It establishes a sacred space and charts the stars." She spoke me ominously as she said, "It also is a spiritual portal."

Logen began to actually decipher some celestial patterns within the geometric design and to his astonishment he could see a star chart and planetary orbits. He looked swiftly up at the starry sky and could see her accuracy. He looked back at Ceraphina and realized how much effort she had put into this and how smart she really was.

"It's nearly time. Ildrianna, Ocean, please remain standing. Logen, kneel before the altar as I am." She instructed tersely.

Logen slowly complied.

"Please present the shattered acorna."

Ildrianna stepped towards the altar and unwrapped Ocean's shattered horn for Ceraphina who carefully picked up each piece and set it in sequence on the altar. Dria stepped back to her place and waited on baited breath for what the gypsy would do next.

"I need something of yours, my lady."

Dria started, "What do you mean?"

"Something that is yours an yours alone. Something that you can offer Ocean for the sake of your bond." Ceraphina spoke solemnly.

Ildrianna didn't know what she had to offer and she began to fidget with her hair. Suddenly she understood and asked Ceraphina if she could borrow her dirk.

The gypsy complied and Dria quickly severed a lock of hair from her head before Logen could protest. Ceraphina nodded slowly as Dria approached the altar again and placed her hair with Ocean's horn. Before she would withdraw her hand, Ceraphina snared her wrist with unforgiving force. She pilfered her dirk back and pricked the tip of Dria's index finger, striking like a cobra.

"Ouch!" Dria cried, more surprised than anything else, the pain was sharp but fleeting.

"You said 'twould be no blood sacrifice!" Logen roared, stepping towards Dria protectively.

"Quiet!" Ceraphina snarled, raising a hand to stop Logen's advance. "Stay where you are, highlander. You cannot break the mandala!" She stared him down into compliance before returning her gaze to the drop of oozing blood on Dria's fingertip. She snatched the severed lock of hair and wrapped the finger as if it were a bandage and kept firm hold on Ildrianna's wrist.

"Her blood is magic. It is old. It is power. Her blood allows her to rule and gives her the right to a unicorn as a bond pair. It is more of a symbol than a blood sacrifice." She unwrapped Dria's finger and told her to return to her spot once more. Ceraphina lit some dried sage and wafted the vapors towards her being and then stilled and waited.

"What are you waiting for?" Logen spat.

"The moon. Remember: Do as I say. Do not leave you designated spot; you are the gatekeeper for that direction. Do not interrupt me. Do not talk to me. Do not talk to each other. And do _not_ talk to anything else." Ceraphina eyed them all, her face full of warning. "It only encourages them."

"What do you mean?" Dria asked, nervous.

"You might see things, you might not. Spirits may come to speak to you, ignore them. Even if thy scare you, remember, you belong here and they do not."

Logen snorted in derision.

"Once the ritual begins it cannot be stopped, so get comfortable. And don't be afraid."

Abruptly, Ceraphina lit the lock of hair on fire and tossed it on top of the glowing acorna and placed the burning sage in front of her.

She began chanting.

It was in a language that Logen couldn't comprehend yet it sent chills shivering down his spine. The gypsy closed her eyes and raised her hands above her head as she chanted. Words flowed from her lips without pause, not even for breath. She was almost guttural in her voice at times while others her voice was low and deep, filled with mystery. She weaved her arms about her, bowing her head, arching her back, almost as if she were dancing.

Suddenly speaking Gaelic, Ceraphina spoke roughly; the voice seemed almost layered. "I summon the powers of earth, the cradle. I summon the powers of fire, the destroyer. I summon the powers of water, the healer."

She growled low in her throat and reached for a fistful of dirt, throwing it down upon the altar with force and fervor. She was suddenly on her knees as she threw her arms out before her and began leaning back slowly so that her head now touched the ground behind her, all the while chanting incessantly. She curled upon herself, fisted her hands, and then theatrically opened her palms as fire erupted in her hands.

Dria gasped as she watched Ceraphina throw the fire from her hands and on the altar where it danced merrily without fuel. Captivated, she watched as the fire was then doused by water.

Logen had to hand it to the cinnamon haired gypsy. She definitely knew how to put on a show. He wasn't impressed thus far.

He didn't know that he was about to eat his words when Ceraphina suddenly contorted in pain, rose to her knees once more, screamed out her mantra as she threw her head back then froze. Silence rang through out the clearing and in that stillness Ceraphina bowed her head. In that exact moment all the lanterns went out without any help from wind.

Even though it was summer and the temperature was barely comfortable with the heat and slight humidity, Logen's breath came out white and ghostly from the sudden frigidness.

Ceraphina threw her hands up towards the sky and the brilliant light of the moon burst through the darkness. It was a waxing moon, almost a half moon but its light was unusually bright. For the first time since the ceremony began, Ceraphina opened her eyes. What Logen saw disturbed him to the core.

Ceraphina's eyes were milky white and bright as the stars but they were vacant, lifeless, and sightless holes that no longer saw the world around them, as she knew it. She was in that spiritual place that she feared more than death; she was in the Fade.

She continued to chant, once again speaking a strange language.

Logen felt the hair on his neck and arms rise and a sickness churned in the pit of his stomach. He was finding it difficult to breathe properly.

What ever Ceraphina was saying, it was making the acorna shards sparkle, and the soft light spread though the mandala, igniting the entire design in silver light.

Dria wanted to cry out to Logen as she tore her gaze from the happenings around them to what lay beyond the forest. There she saw dark shapes slithering about in the darkness. Eyes burned brightly as they stared back at her. A sallow, yellow fog creeped along the ground. The amber flood encompassed the clearing but did no infringe.

She wondered if Logen could see the beings as she could.

Logen, on the other hand, could only feel them. Around him he did not see the sickly fog, he couldn't see the shifting spirits, but he could feel that he was being watched. He could feel the icy grip of death. He was extremely uncomfortable.

He looked over towards Dria to see how she was faring but she was as pale as a sheet, her mouth agape slightly as she silently uttered his name.

But he could do nothing for her, according to Ceraphina.

"Logen, hold out your Kiss and touch the acorna." The gypsy's raspy voice demanded, she then resumed her mantras.

Logen tentatively held out his left hand and with his palm he touched the dead acorna gingerly. He suddenly found Ceraphina's hand slammed down on top of his, her face a breatha way from his, her strange eyes searing straight through him.

In that instant a thick curtain was ripped away from his vision and he could see what Ceraphina was seeing. The world around him took on a tinted hue of yellow and gray. The light was artificial. Everything around him was the same as in the clearing but the trees were ghostly white and translucent. The ground beneath him was tarnished gold but the mandala blazed blue. He found himself alone, if you weren't counting all the faceless people surrounding him. He looked for Dria but found she vanished along with her mount.

"Do not look at them." Spoke a voice.

Logen snapped his head toward the source of the whimsical voice and found that Ceraphina was sitting next to him. Her eyes were still strange but her tattoos glowed brightly. She looked even fiercer than before.

His gaze drifted back to the faceless crowd around them.

"You're giving them power." She spoke again.

He opened his mouth to speak but the sound was stolen from him by a presence sitting on the other side of him.

_Look at me_. Commanded a sinister voice.

Logen froze; instead he looked at Ceraphina who was glaring at the creature that had joined them.

"You don't belong here." She told it savagely.

In that voice Logen heard and felt all the protectiveness within her being. Here in this other world, Ceraphina didn't hold a drop of animosity or cattiness towards Logen as she might normally would. Here she was forceful and strong in an entirely different way.

_Neither does he_, writhed the creature. It looked carefully at the witchy gypsy and snarled, the sound of which reverberated through the clearing, nearly sending Logen into convulsions. _He is not protected. _To prove it, the creature gripped his arm severely.

"He is under my protection." Ceraphina growled back. "He isn't yours."

_Then who's is he?_

Logen swallowed, trying to clear the growing lump in his throat. He thought it would soon suffocate him.

"He's mine." She stated possessively. She wrapped a hand around his forearm and squeezed and suddenly Logen could fill his lung more easily.

The creature lunged toward Logen and stopped just a breath away, its face nearly touching Logen's. Its putrid breath rushed over Logen's skin, making its crawl in disgust. Its eyes bore straight into Logen's skull and he suddenly had the most intense headache he had ever experienced.

_LOOK AT ME!_ The creature bellowed.

Logen closed his eyes tightly and when he opened them he suddenly found himself back in reality, kneeling in front of the altar with his hands resting neatly on his thighs. He looked about him wildly. The lanterns were lit once more, the mandala had somehow disappeared, and the feeling of dread that had crept over the entire scene had vanished.

What was left was a relatively benign night that was suddenly alive with sounds of the night.

Ocean had not moved from his spot, neither had Ildrianna who appeared to have gained some of her color back. He looked across the altar at Ceraphina who had bowed her head, arms outstretched, her entire body trembling. She was covered in sweat. When she raised her head her eyes had returned to normal.

"It is done." She whispered, exhaustion taking the best of her as she collapsed.

Logen bolted up to his feet to gather the young woman up. Dria, on the other hand, rushed to the altar and picked up the revived acorna shard.

"It worked…" She said, awed. "It really worked!" She clutched the piece close and joined Ocean, showing him the success. Then she very quickly and swiftly sealed the horn, gathered up the rest of the pieces, and bundled them back up for safe keeping.

"I think she passed out." Logen concluded. He gripped his arm, the one the creature had touched, and found that it was covered in a burning bruise. The imprint left behind reminded him of claws. He inhaled sharply at that.

So it had been real.

"I can't believe she did it." Was all Dria could say. She approached Ceraphina and grabbed her canteen of water that she had brought with her for the ceremony. She opened it and poured a bit on her hand, then flicked it at the gypsy's face.

The droplets worked and Ceraphina slowly blinked her eyes and came back into consciousness. She looked about her with jerky movements, taking in her surroundings. She sighed in relief when she found she was no longer within the spiritual realm.

"It worked, Ceraphina, you did it! You were amazing!" Dria exclaimed in adulation.

She gypsy smiled weakly, "I knew it would."

Ceraphina seemed to realize that Logen was cradling her almost tenderly. She tried to lean forward but couldn't without his help. She glanced down at his arms and quickly grabbed for the bruised one.

"You did good." She told him seriously.

He merely stared in return, trying not to wince as she touched the mark.

"What happened?" He finally asked.

"You were approached by a demon." She told him simply. Ceraphina made to stand and found the action difficult.

"That thing was a demon?" He asked incredulously.

"You saw a demon?" Dria asked, just as shocked. She never saw such things. Just the ghostly outlines of spirits, putrid fog, and piercing glowing eyes.

"You didn't?" Logen asked, bewildered. Dria shook her head negatively and explained all she saw.

"I told you, you might see something, and you might not. There is no guarantee that you'll see the same thing. The demon wanted to stow away inside you, its how they can interact with the world. You weren't protected by runes like me, so it went after you." She leaned heavily against Logen as they began to walk from the clearing. "If you had looked at it, things would have ended… Differently."

"What do you mean?" Logen found himself asking. He readily accepted that Ceraphina was no charlatan.

"When the demon touched you, I knew it would try to corrupt you. I banished your form from the Fade. Then the demon attacked me." She stopped and looked down at herself. Her golden skin that flushed hotly against her hips revealed a downward stroke claw mark. The result was a set of new scars that blazed white against her skin. The protective rune that used to be there had been carved away from her body. "Before I could banish it from the mandala, it used it to send out a message. I don't know what it was or to who it was, but it managed it."

Both Logen and Dria were a bit muddled with that information.

"Does that mean anything to you?" Ceraphina asked.

Dria shook her head. Logen rolled his eyes.

* * *

Rhalluan sat in utter silence before the closed portal of the Gap. Around him were torches and campfires and slight whispers coming from the hand full of men he had brought with him to eventually cross over to the Other Side.

The first problem was finding the Gap. It had a nasty habit of migrating throughout the mountain range to which it was bound to, so it was usually never in the same place twice in a person's lifetime.

The second problem was opening it, which was something that could currently wait.

The third problem was locating the world that the princess had escaped to. As he gazed into the Gap he could glimpse that there were multiple worlds and dimensions. As he understood it, there were an infinite number of possibilities that he had to sift through. Once he located the world she inhabited there was the added problem of synching up to that world. Time could be an issue.

To achieve all this; Rhalluan enlisted the aid of Ciaran. The bitch was more than willing to oblige. She oozed from his back and disappeared within the ether. Once there she found a demon to aid her in searching for the world that the Prince of Darkness needed.

So he waited for a possible response, meditating.

Archon Ciaran danced about in the ether, running through the spiritual realm. She searched for Rhalluan in places that he couldn't go, all the while enlisting the help of spirits and demons to aid in the quest.

The shadow unicorn ran through the mists on phantom hooves, never making a sound. She never tired. That was a thing of the mind, a symptom of possessing a physical body. She hadn't had one of those in centuries and learned to move beyond the restraints a body posed.

She stopped in her search when she felt a presence approach her. Wheeling about, Ciaran viciously attacked the interloper.

_Please! I come with news!_ The demon moaned.

Ciaran gnashed her teeth together and whipped her gnarled horn about her menacingly.

"_Out with it!" _She bellowed.

Rhalluan was disturbed from his meditation by the malevolent voice of Ciaran as she told the prince she had found the world he was looking for.

* * *

As often as Dria could she would ride out of the city of Inverness to meet with Ceraphina on the outskirts so that they may talk and visit with each other. She frequented her because Logen refused to look at her or even speak to her. And if he did he would either be full of anger and resentment or so despondent and forlorn— something that Dria couldn't stand for long. Every time she reached out to him he refused to bridge the gap and patch their friendship together.

She just didn't know what to do about the situation so she ran from it.

As for Ceraphina, she did not mind the company and she found herself looking forward to the exchange. She had never been one to keep much company with others— she instead longed for solitude and study. She claimed to be a jack of all trades yet a master at none; one didn't claim that kind of title by acting as a chatty Cathy. But because of that she didn't realize how lonely she had become, and she had built up armor around herself through a rather rough personality. She took advantage of people, stole, lied, cheated— she was the very thing that Logen had accused her of.

Yet Ildrianna seemed to be able to look past all that, exuding all the patience and grace that was her station. They spoke as if they had known each other all their lives. Dria was grateful for the connection with magic, and Ceraphina was thrilled at the prospect of seeing a unicorn. She treated Ocean with the up most respect, bowing before him before she reached out to stroke his muzzle and brush his mane. She privately spoke to the creature, giving him all her hopes and dreams of the future, and the stallion always seemed to understand.

For the two young women, they seemed to act as balms for the other.

"So this ritual, tell me more about it." Dria asked again, fascinated, trying to understand what she saw that night.

Ceraphina smiled. "Nature has its own healing properties. I have called upon the elements of fire, water, as well as earth, and use their energies to fuel the acorna. Basically, the plan was to store energy within the object. By doing this it will have its own pulse and revive the horn."

Dria remained silent for a moment before she asked yet another question that worried her. "Can you fuse the pieces together? Do you know any spell or ritual—" But she was cut short.

"There is nothing that I know of that can heal a unicorn's horn. The ritual I used was already bent as far as it could go in regards to the entire ordeal. I am sorry, my lady, but I do not know of any way of accomplishing what you ask." At this, Ceraphina seemed truly upset. Her catlike hazel eyes were downcast and solemn.

Later that evening Dria caught up with Logen as he was heading to his brother's forge.

"Logen! Please wait!" She ran after him, panting from the sudden exertion.

The highlander paused but did not answer her.

"I have a question to ask you, about Ocean's horn." She continued.

"Speak then." He prodded, entirely standoffish.

"Well I was wondering, since Ceraphina cannot fuse Ocean's horn back together," At the mention of her name Logen turned away from her, "I was wondering if maybe Drustan could forge it right again."

"Do no' be ridiculous, lady." He scoffed at the very idea.

Hurt, Dria hitched her hands onto her hips in frustration. "And why would that be so ridiculous?" She exclaimed hotly.

"My brother hasna seen such materials 'fore; he wouldna kin what to do with such things." His brogue was incredibly thick, making him difficult for Dria to understand; she knew that he did this on purpose.

Dria hung her head. It was a long shot, and she knew what the most likely answer was to be; yet she still hoped that Drustan could achieve the impossible. But Logen didn't have to be so malicious towards her about the idea.

"Why are you acting so cold to me?" Her bravery suddenly blustered a bit, but once she said those words she felt herself wilt under his scathing stare.

Logen took a deep breath, looking away from the object of his torturous existence. "Are you not 'appy 'ere?" He asked instead. He touched the bandage over his demon-touch gingerly. The skin was still intensely sensitive to pain.

Dria was taken aback. "What do you mean?"

"You're not happy 'ere, are you?"

Dria found it hard to keep eye contact. His sorrow ate away at her through her core. He frowned when she could no longer look at him.

"It's not what you think..." She drifted off.

"Then pray tell, lady, what 'tis you would 'ave me think!" He growled impatiently.

"Why are you so angry with me?" She burst out.

"Because! I feel as though I'm losin' you. The more pieces you find the further away you become!" He shouted into the night. Inside the forge his brother faltered as he brought down a hammering blow to his anvil, nearly taking out his thumb in the process. He glanced outside and saw that his little brother was having a verbal show down with the noblewoman. Though he wanted to interfere he did not, and instead provided more noise to give them the illusion of privacy.

"That's absurd..." She mumbled. "I'm standing right here."

"What is that gypsy to you? She could be feedin' you a fool's tale yet you're eatin' it up like a starved dog." He raged on.

Dria bristled at that. "I am _not_ a dog!" She screeched.

"What 'tis that you want, Dria?"

The way he kept firing off questions, each more complicated than the last, Dria found it hard to keep up.

"I told you what I want. I want to restore Ocean back to his former glory. That's what this entire trip is about, Logen, _this_ is why I'm here!"

"And then what, Dria? What will you do when you've accomplished that?"

Dria found it hard to give him a straight answer. She mumbled out many different possibilities but none of them were the ones that Logen wanted to hear.

"You're not sayin' anythin', Dria." He barked.

She glared at him, her eyes watering.

"What 'bout this place 'tis so horrible? No servants? No jewels? What?" He bellowed.

That broke the last straw. "I cannot stand it here!"

Logen's eyes widened.

"I cannot stand to live in a place that feels so dead inside. I cannot live in a place that has no unicorns. Where animals cannot speak. Where, when I look upon the night sky, I see a dead moon staring back at me! I can't live in a place without magic!" At that she began to sob.

"It's like an ache, I can feel it in my bones. This place— it's not right! Something is horribly wrong with this place and everyone in it. If they cannot believe in unicorns, if they can weave tapestries of slaying unicorns…" She remembered her first tour of the markets of Inverness. "This place is sick, I feel it dying all around me and I cannot _stand_ the feeling!"

Tears sparkled in her eyes as they left twin trails down her face. She quickly wiped them away, too angry and hurt to give herself up to the action.

"I can't hear the trees. I can't feel the sun. Everything is so silent— they have no voices!" She shrieked.

Logen backed away from her, the look in his eyes telling her that she was crazy.

"How can I explain to you something that you can never _understand_ unless you've seen it? Felt it? Heard it as I have?"

Logen remained silent.

She looked at him with clear disappointment in her eyes. "How can you understand me?"

At that, Logen was at a loss for words. It seemed like for the first time he was seeing Dria clearly. Standing there in the waxing moonlight, her eyes so clear in the darkness. They were like a light unto themselves, burning brightly like stars. They were unnatural. Standing there, she seemed so... Out of place. It wasn't her station that set her apart, as he had understood it before.

He had noticed the oddness before but he had always attributed it towards her being a noblewoman. But seeing her now, looking at her objectively as he suddenly was; it was clear that was not the case. Something was just strange... Down right wrong about her, something no one would ever truly understand nor acknowledge even to themselves.

They were the same, yet she was so very different. There was something about her, something more that he was lacking.

She suddenly shivered, wracking her whole body. Rubbing her hands up and down her arms she spoke again, this time more quietly. "This place is changing me, Logen, and not for the better. I'm finding it harder and harder to remember my homeland, the forests of Balinor. I cannot remember the faces of the Royal unicorns." She looked back towards the stables where Ocean slept.

Tears streamed down her face as she spoke brokenly, "I cannot remember what Ocean used to look like."

Logen made to move towards her, to comfort her. But the lady was repulsed by his approach.

"I'm losing myself Logen. And if Ceraphina is a way to get part of Ocean back and myself then she means everything to me. It's not about the servants; it's not about the jewels! For you to claim so after knowing me for this long is insulting." Her royal fervor was back within her voice, holding powerful cadence, making the hammer within the forge falter again. "And if you think that you are losing me it is only because _you_-" She pointed accusingly at his person, "Are the one pushing me away!"

With that said they were silent, standoffish, and rigid. But before Logen could say anything more Dria dismissed herself without so much as a good bye.

The highlander wanted to kick himself for missing the opportunity to speak more to the woman and as he turned to enter the forge and stopped.

"You made a real mess outta this one." Came Drustan's smooth Gaelic.

"You were listenin'?" Logen spat back, bitterly.

"She's right, ye ken. Ye are pushin' 'er away."

"I ken but I canna help it."

"You're angry. Turnin' it loose upon 'er willna 'elp the situation."

"I donna ken what else to do! Every time I see her she makes me feel outta control! Like I'm five again." Logen threw his hands up into the air.

"I think ye jealous of the gypsy. I think ye love the girl." Drustan mused.

"Ye donna ken what you're talkin' 'bout!" Logen raged.

Drustan merely shrugged and returned to the interior of his forge. "Then why are ye here?"

That was a good question. He had wanted to speak with his brother about his problem but now he wasn't so sure since he had been listening in on the conversation. He suddenly felt self-conscious.

"It sounds to me that the lady needs 'elp. Ye should 'elp 'er." Drustan said simply, throwing a bar of iron into a pit of fire.

"I am afraid." Logen whispered softly.

Drustan quirked an eyebrow, "Of what?"

"Of losin' her."

Drustan poked at the coals, enticing the flames to dance higher and hotter. "Da told me once that love was like a falcon. When ye find a wild one, ye 'ave to entice her to stay. Keep her close and be completely open with her, make her trust ye with everythin' you 'ave. So that when she flies away she will come back to you."

"What do birds 'ave to do with anythin'?" Logen fumed. He didn't see the correlation.

Drustan inhaled deeply, trying not to lose his patience. His brother could be dense at times. "Because ye 'ave to understand that sometimes the falcon doesna come back."

Logen remained quiet, fidgeting with a few of Drstuan's work tools. He didn't like what his brother was getting at. He didn't like what his brother was trying to tell him.

"He said that sometimes you 'ave to let what ye love go _because_ ye love them. That sometimes ye 'ave to do things that are best for them." The blacksmith began pulling the iron from the fire and placed it firmly on the anvil and began to strike it, molding the shape into what was needed. The metal mallet rang loudly into the night as Drustan began to carefully meld the metal into a U shape.

Logen watched as his brother began to make a horseshoe. He waited until his brother placed the item back into the fire before he spoke again.

"The gypsy used cards to tell Dria's future. She said that she would be leaving soon."

"Did ye expect her to stay forever?" Drustan snorted.

"And why couldna she?" Logen retorted.

"'Tis as the lady said, she doesna belong here. Canna ye tell?"

He was beginning to think himself an utter foo

* * *

The stay in Inverness was at an end and Logen and his father had to say good-bye Drustan and the city. Drustan hugged his brother fiercely before telling him everything would work out in its own way and time. Logen merely nodded and told his brother he loved him and that he would see him soon.

The time spent in Inverness had been very lucrative for Artair. He had sold all his prized horses, which had put him in a good mood. He didn't really understand what was going on with Dria and Ceraphina, but he said that if the gypsy wanted to follow the lady then she would have to keep up on her own.

Ceraphina packed up her necessary belongings and was quick to follow the departing family.

Logen's father tried to ask his son about the tension between him and Dria but Logen remained tight lipped about the situation. So the wagon ride back was rather… quiet…

It was several days on the road and the full moon had come once again, and with it Dria's nerves.

She remembered her dream with Atalanta so she was anxious about returning soon. What would she find once she returned home? Dria looked over her shoulder at Ceraphina who was sitting in the back of Artair's wagon. The wagon was laden with good the family needed. Ceraphina was snoozing, still not fully recovered from the night when she restored Ocean's piece of dead acorna. She still feared the demon attack and kept analyzing the entire exchange over and over. She still couldn't conclude anything.

She looked at Logen who still remained as sour as ever. She was giving up on the entire exchange. She was getting tired with the entire traveling part of the trip, actually. No one seemed willing to break the silence. Poor Artair seemed to be caught in the middle. Ceraphina was in no way completely cordial with Logen. Even though he protected his very soul in the Fade from a demon and even though he had carried her, bridal style, all the way to her tent and made sure she was all right—they still couldn't be completely civil with each other.

Dria rubbed Ocean's withers. He seemed as nervous as she was. He pranced a bit on the tips of his toes, which got Calwel riled up, which made the wagon horse a bit jittery.

Dria tried to console her mount, but she new better. If he was upset it was for a reason, she just wished she knew what this feeling was. She thought about asking Ceraphina, but the poor gypsy was fast asleep.

"What wrong with Ocean?" Logen finally asked. He pulled back on Calwel's reins to fall in line with the indigo stallion.

"I don't know…" She murmured. She looked at Logen, a bit shy. He still wore a bandage over his arm from the demon-touch. She wished it would heal soon. She didn't like to see him wince anytime it was jarred.

"Do you…" She began, but stopped herself.

"What?" He asked quietly. He was determined to be civil with Dria today; he wanted to patch things up.

"I've got an uneasy feeling." She told him, tugging at her hair.

Logen sighed, he had to admit—"I do too."

Dria smiled halfheartedly at him, which he weakly returned. The young queen looked up at the evening sky. It was tinted with hues of gold and reds. Higher in the sky she could see the beginning tints of blues and purples, and there behind the clouds a full moon arched gracefully across the sky.

Then something spooked the young horse pulling the wagon, causing it to lunge forward awkwardly along the rutted rode.

"Whoa there." Artair immediately pulled on the reins to try to slow the steed.

The actions nearly made Ceraphina fall off the wagon; only through the sensation of falling did she manage to wake up in time to latch on to the railings.

"What's going on?" She asked, bewildered.

"The horse spooked." Artair answered, trying to calm the animal but it was proving rather difficult.

Dria looked up from checking on Ceraphina to the road ahead when all the color drained from her face.

Ahead on the road she saw a black rider sitting upon an equally black unicorn.

"It can't be." It was a barely audible whisper.

She reached for Logen's sleeve, suddenly frantic. "Logen, do you see that?" She asked, pointing up the road.

Logen squinted, trying to keep Calwel steady. He scowled. It appeared to be a black unicorn rearing up with its rider in the middle of the road. But that couldn't be true.

Dria judged the look on his face to mean that yes, he was seeing what she was seeing.

"What is that?" Roared Artair as his horse spooked again, veering off the road as the air before them began to crackle and his, bellowing darkness.

All the horses, except Ocean, panicked.

Dria's blood ran cold.

The Gap was coming to life right before her very eyes and caught in the crossfire was Logen and his dear father. She didn't want them hurt or in danger because of her. The portal between this world and hers was fully open and instead of celestial unicorns racing out to come to her rescue, a tiny herd of shadow unicorns burst forth.

"Logen!" Ildrianna screamed in terror, he was in the path of an on coming shadow unicorn.

At the sight of the Gap opening, Calwel panicked and reared up in fear. Reflexively, Logen leaned up in the saddle, letting the reins go loose. But it was too late; he could see he was in a collision course with a barreling, out of control, galloping black stallion and rider. Before he knew it, Calwel was thrown to the ground by the crashing force of the two steeds. The old chestnut fell backwards, nearly landing on his rider but he managed to twist his body so that he managed to only pin his master's leg.

Logen had to breath knocked out of him as he hit the ground, then pain seared through his leg at have a 1200-pound horse land on top of it.

Ocean remained stalwart, trumpeting a clarion call of defiance and war as the five shadow unicorns emerged from the Gap. He charged to Logen's protection, shielding both horse and rider as they flailed on the ground. The last unicorn to emerge from the Gap was none other than the Prince of Darkness himself.

He laughed out right as they manage to easily ambush Ildrianna and her escort. Honestly, this was too easy.

"So, little princess," Rhalluan sneered, "This is where you have been hiding." Harbinger half reared and pounded the earth restlessly with his iron hooves. The obstinate creature had spotted the deformed Indigo and relayed his observations to his rider.

"You no longer have a unicorn." He smiled with malice, incredibly amused and a bit disturbed by Ocean's malady. So unicorns could survive without their horns. The prince never knew because he never suffered a unicorn he harvested to live, it was in a way his sense of mercy.

"You're wrong!" Ildrianna shouted, fear and angry spiking her adrenalin. Ocean spun around and kicked out at a shadow unicorn that crept too close.

Logen managed to squirm is leg from under Calwel's struggling form. Above him, he coul see that the bandits around him were armed. He struggled for a moment to free his sword from Calwel's saddle and finally managed to draw his Claymore. Standing on unsteady feet, he brandished his sword, issuing a battle cry.

He immediately drew the attention of the dark prince. The look on his face was burned into Dria's mind for eternity; it was jealousy.

"So you found yourself your own knight, a prince to be your king." He seethed. He too drew his sword.

"Such a pitiful choice, my Dria. I'll teach you to choose wiser!" Rhalluan slammed his heels into Harbinger's sides. The awful beast leapt forward and roared, barring its teeth.

"Logen!" Dria screamed, scared for his life.

But Ceraphina had managed to join the fray and threw her dirk wildly. It managed to hit its target and Harbinger shrieked in pain as he felt a blade sink easily into the flesh of his shoulder—giving time for Ocean to intercede. The indigo stallion rushed Harbinger mush like what happened to Calwel.

_You'll pay for that, bitch! _Screamed Harbinger as he felt to the ground in anguish. Rhalluan deftly rolled from his bonded and continued his charge against Logen, sword drawn, ready to deliver a mighty blow.

Logen raised his claymore and met the prince in battle.

The difference in swords amazed the prince. He had never encountered such a heavy blade before, and he soon discovered it was two sided as he parried away Logen's counter strike. Rhalluan's blade, on the other hand, was only sharpened on one side and was considerably shorter and lighter, and therefore more agile.

Logen and Rhalluan went toe to toe in an all out sword combat. He didn't know it, but he assumed that this raging man before him was Rhalluan, the man who still captured Dria's heart. If it was true, he wanted to lock her away for the rest of her life for she was a bampot! How could she feel anything toward this lethal monster?

Dria watched the two dance about during their sword play. Rhalluan was just as she remembered. Tall, lithe, his build was compact compared to Logen's. Logen was every inch the highland warrior. His broad shoulders and arms bulged like bands of iron as he wielded his claymore. He was as tall as Rhalluan. He was as fierce as Rhalluan. She had no idea Logen had so much talent with a sword.

"Dria!" Came Ceraphina's yelp. Two shadow riders had cornered the gypsy with swords drawn against her. She only had her small collection of dirks, and she had no intention of throwing them away like she had at the black unicorn. By the gods themselves, she had wounded a unicorn! The first time she had seen not one but five unicorns and she threw a dagger at one. Heaven help her!

Without even thinking about it, Dria threw up her hands and focused on the shadow riders. Ocean reared up and pawed the sky as he felt an energy build up between himself and his rider. In an instant that energy was released and hurled itself at the two unsuspecting shadow riders—they were knocked off their feet.

Ceraphina didn't waste any time as she quickly descended upon the pair and swiftly slit their throats. She looked up to see Dria crumple almost lifelessly on Ocean's back from the exertion.

Ceraphina needed to get close to the woman and fast, but the gypsy within her wouldn't allow her to just leave the dead bodies unmolested. She quickly went through their pockets and grabbed anything that might be of use. To finish off her lifting spree she kicked the hand of a lifeless rider and stole his sword from his limp fingertips.

She vaulted towards Ocean and took a hold of Dria's ankle and shook the woman awake. "You've got the be alert, my lady!"

Dria looked over at the Gap. They needed to go through! She looked at the blurring scene around her. Ceraphina was snarling at anything that came close to Ocean's side, she swung her sword wildly. Logen and Rhalluan were still locked in a battle of skill and will. One shadow unicorn rider sifted through the shadows but couldn't find a way in to strike; Ceraphina's eyes nearly popped out of her head when she saw it do that.

The other shadow unicorn and rider and Harbinger were nowhere to be seen. Her heart went out to Artair; she hoped he was safe and unhurt.

"What do we do?" The gypsy asked.

"We need to get through the Gap." Dria answered, she steadied Ocean's body, stroking his neck and withers. His knees were bent and gathered underneath him as if ready to spring to fulfill any command Dria had. He remained cautious. He had no horn to defend himself, to defend his bonded. He would not risk her in battle so he was attentive to her body language and shifts of body weight. Her silent cued would direct him.

Rhalluan parried off another heavy blow of Logen's claymore. His stamina was flagging. He never expected for his sword arm to last so long. Dria's little guard wasn't so little, and he wasn't so weak, and he wasn't so fearful of his opponent.

The dark prince wanted to tear Logen apart. The animalistic part of Rhalluan wanted blood. He was incensed that he found Dria under his protection and he would prove how poor her choice was. He didn't expect the surge of jealousy to hit him so hard and mercilessly. There was no reason to expect Dria to understand the hurt he felt when he saw Logen rise, sword in hand, ready to due battle to defend what was _not_ _his!_

The memory flashed through his mind quick as lightning—a little girl had asked _him_ to be her king, so long as she couldn't find one for herself. A little girl had placed a crown of flowers upon _his _head and not the filth that began to fight desperately in front of him.

Rage surged up through his veins and when their swords became frozen in a test of strength, Rhalluan snarled aloud and used his free hand to punch Logen right in the face.

The attack caught Logen completely off guard and he stumbled backwards. His cheek and jaw had been struck and his eyes watered reflexively, blurring his vision. He suddenly found himself on the ground as the pommel of Rhalluan sword came down sharply on his head, the prince then kicked as he fell.

"She's not yours!" Rhalluan roared in his fury.

"Logen!" Dria screamed in terror, she would not watch him get cut down.

"Look how poorly you chose, Dria." Rhalluan called out mockingly. "He could never protect you, not from me." He pointed his sword as Logen struggled to regain his feet. "And you would have a woman defend you?" He gestured toward Ceraphina.

"I stopped you before." The gypsy hissed, brandishing her sword and dirk at him for emphasis.

"Merely hampered." The prince returned, amused. He finally looked about him and found that two of his men were dead and his mount was nowhere to be seen, obviously off licking his wounds and injured pride.

"Good enough to steal two lives away." Ceraphina nodded toward the lifeless corpses.

"And good enough to distract you!"

Logen had rose and lunged at Rhalluan's back, striking down the prince just as brutally at Rhalluan had attacked him. The two men began grappling with each other.

Dria held out her hand, "Come!" She commanded in her most royal voice.

Ceraphina looked up and slowly grasped the woman's hand and before she knew it she was sitting in front of the queen astride Ocean's back.

"What are you doing?" She was shocked.

"Take the reins." Dria threw the reins in at Ceraphina's hands.

"What am I doing?" Ceraphina asked, bewildered.

Dria tapped on Ocean's sides and urged him towards Logen and Rhalluan. "Fly, Ocean!"

Ocean lunged forward. Ceraphina held on for dear life as Dria leaned over to the side so that she was perpendicular to Ocean's side.

"What are _you_ doing?" Screamed Ceraphina.

"Just keep him steady!"

Rhalluan was just kicked in the stomach by the highlander. In a hand-to-hand combat the prince had to admit that perhaps Logen had the upper hand. The boy knew how to throw back a punch.

Logen wanted nothing more than pummel the guy. All he needed to blow off some steam was a good old fashion brawl; Rhalluan was offering that and more. He rose to his feet and wiped away the blood from his busted lip.

"Get up!" He roared.

Rhalluan rolled away before rising to his feet. He spat blood from his mouth and smiled. He hadn't gotten this kind of fight in so long.

"She told me how weak you were, she had forgotten about you." Logen laughed, catching his breath.

Rhalluan's face turned icy at that. "You are nothing. You are less than nothing." He retorted back.

"I am everything." Logen grinned before lunging at the prince, slamming his forearm against his chest.

"You think you're worthy of a queen? Don't make me laugh!" Rhalluan bellowed, drawing forth a dagger from within the olds of his riding cloak. Quick as a snake, Rhalluan slashed at Logen's exposed flesh, drawing blood.

Logen jumped back, back pedaling towards his sword now that the fight had evolved back into a sword fight. A queen? Dria? No, she was just a highborn noblewoman. She had never mentioned anything about becoming a queen.

"You didn't know, did you?" Rhalluan exclaimed gleefully, full of spite. "You aren't worthy!"

Logen cursed in Gaelic and lunged for his sword as Rhalluan lunged for his throat.

"Rhal!" Dria shouted, gaining the prince's attention almost immediately. Ceraphina spurred Ocean onward and held on tightly, hoping the stallion knew what it was doing as it ran between the opposing men. Dria reached out and snatched Logen's arm just as he retrieved his claymore and swept him off his feet. Ocean carried the two women and dragged the struggling highlander with relative ease as he switched leads and bended toward the spiraling portal of the Gap.

Logen struggled for all he was worth. He couldn't get his feet underneath him as the stallion raced on.

"Let me go!" He managed to ground of painfully. He though his arm would be ripped from his socket. Dria had managed to grab a hold off his demon-touched arm, which throbbed harshly. Not to mention his other arm sported a slash wound, which bled freely, soaking his hand. He held onto his sword for dear life.

"Let me go!" Logen shrieked, but the voice was stolen from him as suddenly a wave of icy wind and darkness flooded over him. All around him was bitch blackness. All he could make out was a shimmering blue light that blazed next to him. He found that he couldn't breathe. In a desperate attempt to draw breath he let go of Dria's hand and rolled away.

Next thing he knew he was rolling down hill on a patch of rocky earth and silken grass, then crashed into a tree. He stumbled to his feet, but only managed to fall back over again. It took him two more attempts before he used the tree for leverage. He was dizzy and confused. He looked about him, how had they gotten on a mountain?

He looked about him wildly. Everything around him was bright and sweet, and full of life. It was as if he had somehow stepped into an over saturated painting! The greens and grays and browns and blues nearly blinded him with their vibrancy.

"Dria?" He called out, his voice sounded lost and small. He looked up; the sun was at its zenith.

That wasn't right.

"Dria…" He called again, he felt like a lost little boy.

Last he checked the sun had almost set.

"Get on." Came a silvery voice. Logen looked up and saw the most beautiful creature he had ever seen. Before him was a dappled green unicorn with a horn translucent like quartz with a dazzling white diamond gem that glinted brightly in the noon sun. The unicorn's hide changed in value. Her front was lighter than her back, with an almost leopard smattering print of dapples. Her main and tail was like a gray sage, and in some placed gleamed silver. She was the most splendid creature she had ever seen.

He suddenly realized he wasn't home anymore.

* * *

Ok, wow. I know this has taken forever but it's a 23-page update. I rewrote this chapter so many times that I had to leave it alone because of how disgusted I was with it. The muses had abandoned me, and as I struggled to force them to work with me it seemed like everything I wrote was not right. So, now I'm back on track. Summer is here, and although I've got summer school I do plan to devote time to writing. I've missed it.

Also I'm having trouble with , fancy that.

Best wishes to everyone. Please read and review.

BVR


	15. Return to Balinor

**Return to Balinor**

* * *

Logen clutched the verdant mane of a celestial unicorn as he raced through the forest that covered the steep slope of the mountain. Her hooves, though hitting hard stone, made almost no sound. She almost drifted down the mountain effortlessly.

Her body didn't run down hill like she wanted to, instead she traveled across the mountain, drifting further and further to the side as she made her way down the mountain. She neither spoke nor gave her rider much attention. He was holding on with all his might while trying to maintain some sort of proper posture. He gripped his sword tightly in one hand while weaving his fingers tightly through the mare's mane with the other.

Logen felt battered and bruised, the events of the last couple of days were finally catching up with him. He looked down at his wounded arm; the one Rhalluan had cut. Then he glanced at the other. He truly was a mess, and in more ways than one.

He didn't speak to the unicorn. He was too afraid to do so. He didn't want to believe that he was in another world.

She didn't seem interested in conversation either. He only hoped that she was leading him somewhere important. He hoped it was to Dria. He hoped he would be able to get some proper attention to his arms. He hoped he would be able to get something to eat.

There were a lot of things he hoped for, but as of this moment he was just along for the ride.

The green unicorn vaulted over a fallen log and flicked her ears. She slowed her light canter to a brisk walk, and then stopped, still as a doe in the thicket.

Logen remained quiet but he stilled as well, she might be listening to something he couldn't hear.

In truth, she was. The green was listening to the trees and the moss, and the sound of the whispering grass. Her ears swiveled on her head held high, her nostrils flared. She let out a shrill whinny into the air.

Far, far in the distance, there was an answering call.

The green relaxed and resumed her brisk walking pace, to Logen's immense relief.

They continued on in silence until Logen could not handle it anymore.

"Where is Dria?"

The green flipped an ear his way. "Hopefully with her Bonded."

Logen thought his ears had never heard anything me lovely. He wondered if all unicorns sounded this way.

"We're in Balinor." He said that aloud, more to explain it to himself than to hear confirmation but the unicorn told him he was correct anyways.

He didn't want to believe it but it was true. He looked behind him. He didn't see the blackened portal.

The green celestial continued on, paying closer attention to the man on her back. He seemed to be in shock. She snorted. She could pick up the scent of blood on him, and if she wasn't mistaken… It was getting on her.

She diverted her course and began trekking a bit uphill. She lunged forward, throwing down her head to give her more momentum, her rider leaning forward to help. She was glad that she was fortunate enough that he at least new the basics of riding.

She reached a flat of rock, which contained a bit of run off that pooled there.

"You may replenish yourself here if you wish." She said with a bit of aloofness.

Logen slipped from the unicorn's back and hit the ground hard and gracelessly. Kneeling before the little pool he quickly drank greedily. He hadn't known how parched he was until this moment. He quickly washed off the dirt, grime, and dried blood from his hands and arms, wincing all the while. He glanced back at the unicorn.

In form, she was different from Ocean. She was completely built for agility. Her legs were thin and long. The angles of her body slight and sleek. She looked as though she would disappear at any moment. The horn on her head caught the light and refracted a rainbow on the ground. Her hooves were a bronze, reminding Logen of roots. She was like a vine that could move.

She tossed her head about in the wind and then stopped when she caught him staring at her.

"You've never seen a unicorn, Outlander?"

"You're my first." He answered, averting his gaze. He made to rip his shirt to cover his wounded arm.

"Don't." The green stepped closer and lowered her horn. "Allow me." Before Logen could protest the Green's horn was pointed at him and he could tell how lethal it could be. But she gingerly hovered over his wounded arm and touched it as lightly as a butterfly before retreating.

In an instant, his arm was healed.

His eyes nearly bulged from their sockets. "Thank you…" He found himself speaking quietly.

"You are welcome, Outlander." The green bowed slightly then turned away. She turned an ear towards him, finding his lilting brogue rather interesting.

"What kind of a unicorn are you?" Logen found himself asking. He found it very strange to talk to an animal, not to mention such a vibrantly green one at that.

The green celestial turned towards him again, a bit of mirth in her eyes as well as a bit of surprise. "You know that there are different kinds of unicorns?"

He nodded, "Dria told me that there were."

The green tilted her head a bit. "I am a celestial unicorn."

"What's the difference?"

"I was not born here in Balinor, but in the Celestial Valley." She explained simply.

"So in another country?" He asked, confused.

"A celestial unicorn is born on a different plain of existence. I belong to this world now, but I did not originate here." The green looked up wistfully at the sky. "The Celestial Valley is a place of peace and beauty and it rests in the sky. The people of Balinor call us celestial because the first time we visited them we came down from the sky in a shower of light and stars."

"A creature of Heaven…" Logen murmured, recalling some of the Christian tales of angels and heralds from on high. Looking at this creature he would agree that she was a piece from the stars.

"And Ocean 'tis a celestial unicorn." Logen stated. "Are there many of you?" He took off his belt and began wrapping it around the blade of his sword near the handle. He was getting tired of holding it. He left the scabbard… Somewhere. Back in Scotland, he supposed. Back in Scotland on Calwel's saddle. He missed his horse. He didn't want to think about anything or anyone else he would miss. He was trying to keep his mind off his family as it was.

"Yes, but not in Balinor."

"Why is that?"

"We are forbidden to step foot here in Balinor. It is too dangerous. I remained behind for many reasons. Besides that, before the fall of Balinor only members of the royal family were allowed to bond and ride celestials." The green stepped under the steady drip of the stream to refresh herself.

"So Dria 'tis a princess?" Logen swallowed hard.

The green shook herself vigorously and leapt out of the water. "Ildrianna is the regent. She is queen of all Balinor now that the late king and queen were murdered."

"You didn't wish to know, did you?" The green asked, curious.

"I didn't kin she was royalty." Logen admitted, crest fallen. He didn't realize how much distance there really was between them. He was a common peasant; she was a queen. He felt his chest constrict from pain. There wasn't any way he could see Dria being his in the way he wanted. He didn't see how he fit here in this world.

"What is your name?" The green finally asked as she watched the conflict and distress flit across his face.

"Logen." The name had to be pushed out of his throat, past the lump that threatened to choke him.

The green unicorn stepped close to Logen's form and gently nudged his shoulder. "Logen," she spoke softly as if to a child, "Do not look at her as a queen, but as a friend in need of help. Ildrianna never wanted her title, but it is her duty to her people and her country to become queen of Balinor. Her list of friends is few. If you protected her while on the Other Side you are more than worthy to stand as her equal. Don't think that you are any less of a person because of your station. You are both human."

Logen looked at the deep brown eyes of the celestial unicorn and nodded, reassured by her soothing words.

"What do we do now?" He wanted to change the subject. He still felt distance between himself and Dria.

"We ride on." The green bowed a bit on her feet, lowering her shoulder to a more mountable level for the exhausted Outlander. Once Logen was clutching her silvery mane she rose to her feet and took off towards the west, coming ever closer to Ocean's last location.

She wove through the forest as if she were a ghost, blending into her surroundings as if she were a chameleon. She remained silent and vigilant as they made their way into flatter country but the terrain was still heavily wooded. She soon came across some impassible underbrush.

"Need me to cut a path?" He offered, hefting the sword tied at his side.

The green snorted and shook her head violently. "Men and your axes and knives." He heard her mutter under her breath before she waved her horn across the path. To Logen's astonishment the tangle of brush and limbs quivered before sliding back with a sigh. The green unicorn stepped through the freshly made path with confidence.

Logen craned his head and watched as the path swallowed them up behind them, leaving no trail.

"That was amazing." He told his mount.

The green brushed off the flattery. "I am a Green," She proclaimed, "The earth and all that grows is my domain."

"What do you mean?"

"Each celestial unicorn has dominion over something. I am the Lady of Nature. Wherever my footsteps go new growth follows. I make sure that the fields of Balinor are rich and verdant." She whispered, making a tree lean back.

Logen leaned forward to get a look at the green's feet and sure enough he founds new vines, ferns, and moss spreading out from underneath her feet. He watched amazed as tiny flowers began to pop up and bloom a soft violet.

"What does Ocean lord over?"

"What do you think?" She asked amused.

"I was thinkin' water or somethin'…" His voice trailed off.

"Ocean is the head of his band of Indigos. He is a prince in his own right and the most powerful of his band. He is the Guardian of the Indigo Star." The green vaulted over some loose shale and skittered into another piece of brush. With a flick of her blazing horn and a flash of her jewel the vegetation bent to her will.

"What is the Indigo Star?" Logen asked, confused. He didn't realize that Ocean was that powerful.

"The Star is a jewel of power that contains the strength of the Indigo band. Of the seven bands that make up the rainbow it is the blue and green bands that hold the most power. Because of this a physical manifestation was called forth for each. The Indigo Star and the Jade Stone. They store power and bestow it upon Balinor."

"What makes blue and green so special?" Logen found himself asking, his head spinning trying to keep up with the tale.

"It is said to be the Father Above's favored colors, since they dominate the landscape. The Indigo Star is said to bring out night, push the oceans, and even make the rain fall. The Jade Stone breathes life into winter, makes things grow, and keeps the soil fertile." She paused in her trek and turned her head so that she could see her passenger more clearly.

"I am under the power of the Stone. Ocean is under the power of the Star. Only the leaders of our band know where these jewels exist. Ocean shares the power of the Star." There was a sense of wonder in her eyes. "The Star is protected by a dragon."

"Dragons exist?" Logen exclaimed.

"Many creatures exist. I take it they do not in your world?" She asked, curious.

"We 'ave animals, but they donna talk. They're ordinary, nothing like you or Ocean, or those things that attacked us." Logen explained.

"The creatures in your world would not be ordinary to me." She reasoned, resuming her pace.

Logen had to agree on that thought.

"I never got your name." He said suddenly as the brush began to thin.

"I am Emera." The green said elegantly. Stepping out into a clearing.

"Logen!" Came Ceraphina's elated squeal.

Logen jolted at his name and was glad to see the gypsy. He slid off Emera's back and was surprised to be embraced by the girl.

"I'm so glad that you're alright. I was worried." Upon approaching the green unicorn she bowed low to the ground out of respect, admiring the beautiful creature. "A real unicorn." She whispered.

Emera arched her dappled neck. "A real human." She retorted.

Logen snickered.

Ceraphina smiled good-naturedly.

Now that the two Outlanders had been united Emera left the two to talk amongst themselves and made her way over to Ocean. She touched noses with the stallion and stepped forward so that she nosed his withers and he did the same. It was a simple bonding ritual that reaffirmed their companionship. Itching each other's withers was a practice that even the horses of Logen's world practiced, he noted.

"My poor brother, I didn't want the rumors to be true." She whispered sadly.

Ocean huffed and pawed the earth, stepping away from his herd mate. He bobbed his head up and down silently and pushed his ears back.

It was as if all three suddenly asked the same question aloud at the same time.

"Where is Dria?" They asked in unison.

"She's not with you?" Logen asked Ceraphina, alarmed.

"I thought she was with you." Ceraphina shrugged her shoulders, putting her hands up in defense. All her bangles chimed down the length of her wrists in protest.

"You mean the queen was not with either of you?" Emera interjected, more forceful than Logen had heard from her before.

"We got separated when we went through that portal. It was as if we were pulled in a hundred different directions at once." Ceraphina explained, clutched her sides at the memory. She thought that she was going o be ripped in half from the force or die from suffocation.

"I had hoped Ildrianna had been with you, Ocean." Emera said mournfully. "I must find her. She can't have gotten far." She turned back to the Indigo. "Watch after the Outlanders. I will retrieve your Bonded." She stamped her hoof and baby ferns unfurled beneath her foot.

Ceraphina watched, fascinated.

"I must go quickly, and be back as soon as I can." With that the dappled green whirled in place and fled back into the forest and disappeared into the bark of a tree.

Logen rubbed his eyes and looked up at Ocean who stared intently at the place his herd mate had disappeared.

"'Tis that normal?" He asked, gesturing to the fact that the unicorn had melded into the trees.

Ocean nodded his head and began pacing, nervous, listening to the natural song of the forest.

* * *

Rhalluan came into consciousness slowly and painfully. He felt as if his chest was being crushed. He tried to open his eyes but he quickly squinted them shut, something was blocking and getting in his face. He went to brush it away and got his gauntlet tangled within locks of hair.

He slowly opened his eyes and realized that Ildrianna had yet to regain consciousness and she was collapsed on top of his body, the majority of her weight concentrated on his ribcage.

He was confused, wondering how he had come into this strange situation. He recalled diving in after her as she had crossed into the Gap. Then everything went dark. He remembered the Gap suffocating him, and then he had Dria in his arms.

He pushed her off him to get a better look at her. Spreading on the face of her forehead was a sickly twisting bruise blossoming in color. He touched it gently and the slightest brush caused her face to contort in pain. He pulled his hand away and gathered her up against him as he settled his back against the trunk of a tree.

He pulled off his gauntlets to free his hands and tenderly pushed away the hair from her face, revealing her beautiful heart-shaped face. His fingers traveled down the column of her neck, resting at the crook of her should and pressed his fingers down upon her skin.

He could feel the flutter of her heartbeat from the pulse point.

Satisfied that she didn't seem to be in any real danger from her condition, Rhalluan leaned back and closed his eyes. How long had it been since he had been alone with Dria? The last time he recalled such an occurrence was when his mother was alive. He flinched away from his mother's memory. He could hardly stand the thought of her just like he couldn't stand the thought of Dria.

Yet here she was in his arms.

His arms instinctively clutched her closer, wrapping her up in his armor. He never wanted to let her go.

He remembered the Outlander who came to her defense. What could she possibly see in him?

The prince ran his fingers through the girl's heavy mane. He loosened her braid to allow her hair to fall free like he remembered it.

"She has beautiful hair doesn't she, Rhalluan?" Queen Pela asked her son.

"I don't know." Rhalluan had answered, trying to squirm away from his mother's vice like grasp. She was preening, and she never stopped once she started. She ran a hand through his dark locks and pulled it into a low ponytail.

"I don't like you leaving her alone. I do not want to hear any more wild stories of you stranding her somewhere on the estate." She knelt down so that she was more eye-level with her son. "Will I?"

Rhalluan, then fifteen, had no interest in playing with a ten year old. "But mother, she's just so—"

"She is a little girl, my sweet, be nice to her." Pela got to her feet. She hugged her son and kissed him softly on the forehead. She straightened out his finely tailored shirt before looking at him. "My son, you mustn't let her go. She may be your saving grace from all this."

Rhalluan shook his head from reliving the past. He hated thinking about his mother. That was the last time he had ever spoken to his mother since before she died. She was always going on and on about little Ildrianna, making him escort her around their estate while her family was visiting, trying to patch things up between Balinor and the split Vurinada.

He looked down at the angelic face in his arms. A small smile graced his lips. He wished he could do this whenever he wanted. He stroked her face, rubbing the pad of his thumb across her lips. His fingers froze when her eyes fluttered open, revealing thunderous sea foam eyes.

She gasped and jerked away but found that his arms trapped her.

"Rhalluan." She breathed, shocked.

"Dria." He whispered back to her, reaching to push back his mass of wavy locks. It pleased him to find that she didn't flinch away from his touch as she had before.

The young queen took this time to regain her senses. There was a throbbing hurt pounding in her head. She was gathered rather intimately in the arms of her archenemy and her body was betraying her! She should have felt nothing but revulsion and disgust at his touch but she found that she had inexplicably relaxed. She felt like they were back in old times, when they would be with each other while their parents argued and raged at each other.

Then memory came crashing back to her as she remembered her Bonded, Logen, and Ceraphina. Her breath hitched in her throat as she looked about her wildly, causing her throbbing head to spin.

"Where are we?"

Rhalluan hushed her, capturing her cheek in one hand and stroking her racing pulse on her neck with the other. He looked deeply into those oceanic orbs that haunting him in his dreams and found himself at a loss for words. He had not seen her since she had fled from the winter castle that dark day in Balinor. He only had Estellana's feverish eyes to gaze at, a mockery compared to Ildrianna's. Rhalluan believed that he would never see the spirited girl he had grown up with. Yet here she was, in his arms, staring up at him expectantly.

"We've returned to Balinor." He finally informed her.

No matter how much she wanted to relax into his comforting touch she knew she shouldn't. He killed her parents. He turned her world up-side-down. He nearly tore her Bonded away from her for good.

Rhalluan could see her eyes harden, becoming unforgiving currents that cut through him mercilessly.

"Now that you have me, what do you plan to do with me?" She was nearly seething at him, invading his personal face.

Rhalluan could hardly breathe as she moved closer. The urge to crush his lips punishingly against hers was nearly overwhelming. He frosted his expression and remained impassive. "Nothing." He smiled as she leaned back, a confused expression muddling her beautiful face.

"What do you mean?" She asked, bewildered further by his devastating smile. When was the last time she had seen a smile like that grace his stony features? Not since she had seen his mother, queen Pela.

"My father has ordered me to kill you," Rhalluan leaned forward, the hand on her neck becoming more menacing. When he heard her gasp quietly he slid his hand to the back of her neck and explored her lovely locks. She remained rigid in his grasp.

"So why haven't you?" She asked, voice quivering. She swallowed, closing her eyes against him. He had just threatened her life and she couldn't stand to look at his mouth that said such awful things while his touch remained so tender and gentle. She couldn't comprehend the contradiction.

Rhalluan remained silent as he just stared at her, drinking in her presence. For this moment they were alone with nothing else to disturb them. Here she was not a queen but a young woman and he was not a loathsome prince but a man. He didn't want to think about the game that awaited them once this moment broke. For now, he was willing to steal as many moments as he could with this girl.

"Why do you think?" He asked, whispering in her ear as if he were telling her a secret. It took all his strength not to nibble her earlobe as he felt a shiver travel down her spine.

"Because you want to bring me before the court and execute me in public?" Came her biting reply, growling back at him.

He wasn't surprised in her answer. He deserved all she had to throw at him and more. The mental image she had conjured caused him to wince away from her. He would not present her like a whore for the entire world to see, especially to his father. No, if he were forced to cut her down he would do it in the seclusion of these wooded mountains so that she could finally and forever be his own to hold.

His grip tightened on her as she tried to resist and pull away.

"Because you have vowed to do the bidding of that vile brute you call a father?"

He stared at her impassively.

"Because you will kill me as easily as you killed my parents!" She found herself hitting him when she said that one, her fist grazing over hard metal and leather armor.

She was possessed by her grief and anger, her eyes flashing dangerously as she abandoned herself to her emotions. "You killed my family!" She raged, slapping the Prince of Darkness clear across the face. "You took them away from me!" She slapped him again. "You destroyed _everything!_" She pounded her fists into his chest, enraged that he did nothing to stop her so she kept pummeling him in vain, knowing that his armor was only tearing up her hands but she didn't care.

Rhalluan's mouth thinned into a firm line as he watched the woman in his arms hit him. He could almost taste her emotions as tears flooded her eyes and her voice became ragged as she tried to choke back sobs.

"You monster! You vile beast! How could you?" She cried, hitting his chest.

Rhalluan remained silent.

"_How could you?"_ She wailed, slapping him hard across the face, this time drawing blood.

The prince recoiled from the blow, never believing that she could actually bring stars before his eyes. He rolled his tongue around in his mouth before spitting out blood. He didn't want to face her.

She gasped at the red collecting at the corner of his mouth. Dria had never done such a thin in her life. When she was around him he seemed to bring out the worst in her. That fact that she wanted to fix her mistake made her even more furious. She was not supposed to feel like this towards him. He was supposed to be ashamed of himself, not her.

"You're a monster." She finally spat out, scrambling to get away from him now that he had loosened his grasp. She backed away from him as if he were a rabid animal; one fast movement might set him off.

Rhalluan nodded before looking up at the wrathful girl in front of him.

"You're right." He merely agreed.

Ildrianna gaped at him, appalled. "What?"

"I am what you say." He got to his feet, wiping away the affliction from his mouth. He wanted to laugh.

"You weren't always…" Dria muttered, backing herself up against a tree. Her limbs felt heavy and sore, no doubt a side effect from traveling through the Gap.

The prince merely stared.

"The Rhal I knew could never hurt a fly! The Rhal I knew was always so kind to me. What happened?" Dria begged, wanting to know the source yet at the same time knowing the answer.

"Don't ask stupid questions, Dria." Rhalluan growled, taking a menacing step towards her. He snaked a hand out around her upper arm and yanked her from her spot. "A monster wouldn't suffer the thought of allowing you to live. A _monster_ wouldn't keep your precious sister alive." He enjoyed the way her eye lit up at the mention of her sister. "Yes, neither of us are who we used to be."

"What do you mean?" Dria tried to pry Rhalluan's iron grip from her arm but she could so much as budge his fingers. She glared up at the face that had destroyed her life.

"What is he to you?"

Dria writhed under Rhalluan's piercing stare, feeling as though he had captured her image in his icy eyes. She felt lost in those eyes.

"Who are you talking about?" Dria tried to pull away but had her face caught by the prince's other hand. With tremendous force he made her look at him and she wanted to spit in his face. She refused to look at his perfect mouth.

"The boy who followed you through the Gap. Who. Is. He. To. You?" He ground out the question through clenched teeth, trying to squelch his rising hostilities toward the object of his affections.

Dria was a bit overjoyed when Rhalluan confirmed that Logen had made it through the Gap with her. On the other hand, it meant that he had been torn apart from his family, home, and entire world. She needed to speak with him to find out how he felt about the entire situation. She gave Rhalluan a knowing look before answering, "Jealous, are we?"

The was gratified to hear a growl growing deep in his throat, well worth the pain of his tightening and bruising grip upon her arm.

"Do you love him?" He seethed.

Dria was thrown by the question. She didn't think Rhal would be so direct about the issue. Unlike her, he wasn't afraid of consequences. He fought for what he wanted, which made her shiver. She pulled away from the hand that held her face.

"That is none of your business." She struggled against his other grasp.

"You didn't answer me." He grabbed at her again, pushing up against the tree. He watched as she winced as the bark cut into her back. He didn't care.

"You lost your privilege to know my mind the day you cut down my parents!" Ildrianna retaliated in her most royal voice, shoving him away with all her might. There had been a time in her life when she told this man her most intimate secrets of her heart and worries. The person before her was a shadow of the Rhalluan she had known most of her life.

Rhalluan staggered back, not expecting Dria to act so authoritative. It seemed that she had hardened since she had fled from Balinor. It both elated him and saddened him. Her heart was no longer open to him, he knew that, but having her scream it aloud to him just added salt to the wound. He had harmed her in every possible way imaginable. There was no redemption for the Prince of Darkness. He could feel the mark of evil on his back twist like a knife between his ribs as if to confirm it.

"I've hurt you in the most horrible way possible. I deserve the worst from you and more. But everything I've done was to protect you." He said quietly, his hands trembling in fists at his sides. He stepped closer to Dria and wrapped his arms around her waist, embracing her tenderly. "I promised I would always find you and I've not broken that promise." He whispered into her hair.

Dria's eyes widened as she remembered that long ago day in the gardens when she used to play hide-and-seek with a boy. He always found her no matter how well she was hidden. He had found her even while in another place and time.

"I won't lose you to someone like him." He tilted her head up before smashing his lips against her in a searing kiss.

Dria's world somehow tilted out of balance when she felt his hot lips crash into her own. It was the last thing she expected. His mouth was dominating, commanding the kiss to the point she was helpless to do anything against it. She tried to will herself to fight and her arms pushed weakly against him but to no avail. It was like being swept away in a torrential storm, all you could do was endure.

She whimpered into the intimate gesture that was full of raw emotion.

Rhalluan couldn't think there could be anything more heavenly than the feel of her against himself. He wanted to brand her. If that Outlander had so much as touched her the prince wanted to erase all thoughts and memory of him so that when she recalled this moment all she would think about would be _him_. She felt so good; he never wanted the moment to end.

His tongue darted out to explore her full bottom lip and was exhilarated to find that she parted her lips allowing him access. He plunged in, accepting her invitation and began battling with her tongue. He nearly groaned in pleasure when she bit down on his bottom lip, punishing him for being sold bold and rough.

Dria felt like she was on an emotional roller coaster. One moment she was furious with him, then next confused, and now she was ensorcelled with his treacherous mouth! What was going on?

But she reveled in the kiss. It was hot and passionate, brimming with emotion and more to the point that they threatened to engulf them both. She hated him! He was the bane of her existence! So why was the participating in this kiss?

She was so conflicted, thinking she was betraying her family and country with what she was doing. Her mind rejected the very thought of ever showing any sort of kindness to him and yet her heart openly committed mutiny.

She pushed into the kiss, clacking her teeth against his as she battled with his mouth but the prince always seemed one step ahead of her and instead drew out a heated moan of pleasure from his handling.

Rhalluan pulled her closer, running his hands through her hair when he heard the whinnying cry of a unicorn not too far. He reluctantly slowed the pace of the burning kiss, no longer emoting power but defeat. His lips parted from her, his breath ragged and uneven. He leaned his forehead against her, finding she was playing catch up with her lungs as well.

"I believe that's for you." He whispered to her, kissing her forehead affectionately before letting go completely of her. It was the hardest thing he had ever done in his life. For the thousandth time he wished that things had been different, that he was different, that circumstances had been different. Different so that he could be who he wanted to be around this girl.

Alas, _sins of the father live on in the sins of the son_, he thought bitterly.

He looked at Ildrianna and could see what could have been instead of what had really happened. He never would have thought that she would have thought him capable of slaying her parents, although he was not surprised.

Dria could se the torn look plainly displayed on Rhalluan's face and for a moment she could see the boy she once knew, the Rhal that she had known. It killed her inside to see this side of him. How could his actions possibly have protected her? How could he still act this way around her after everything he had done? Why hadn't he really killed her? Why wasn't he holding her captive? Why was he letting her go?

She bit her lip as she heard the calling unicorn again, hardly recognizing the sound. She glanced back at Rhalluan, his face now stoic and unreadable. It was far easier to hate this Rhal. "I will never forgive you." She promised him before running from the clearing.

"I wouldn't expect anything otherwise…" He nodded at her retreating form.

For a moment he nearly succumbed to the emotions that threatened to rip him apart yet he pulled himself together when his thoughts circled around to his father. He had to come up with an explanation of how he had come back across the Gap without the queen's head, that is, if he even told his father that she was still alive.

Facing his father again was a sobering thought.

He needed to find Harbinger. He had to get back to the Mourner.

He hoped that the brute hadn't been left stranded on the Other Side.

The Prince of Darkness set out across the mountain.

* * *

Dria ran from the clearing as if she were running from the winter castle all over again. She didn't spare a glance over her shoulder to see if Rhal was following her or not, her flight instincts took over. She followed the sound of the unicorn, vaulting over fallen logs and rough patches of terrain until she finally came face to face with an old friend.

"Emera!" Ildrianna exclaimed, wrapping her arms around the green's neck. Her fingers wove through the fine locks of her mane as she inhaled the sweet scent of pine and rosemary. "I never thought I would see you again!" She breathed, overwhelmed.

"My queen, I feared I had lost you forever." The green affectionately nuzzled her shoulder, puffing warm air against her neck.

Dria pulled back. "Where is my sister?"

Emera's eyes became sad. "She is held captive by Rhalluan. I cannot free her."

But to know the mere fact that she was alive, as Rhal had said, was joyous news. Dria had thought she had lost her entire family.

"My queen, we must rejoin your Bonded. Ocean is in a panic." She knelt so Dria could mount without difficulty and quickly began weaving her way through the forest back to the others who were waiting. "Many things have changed in Balinor since you have been away."

"What kind of changes?" Dria asked, before looking around. It seemed to be late summer here. A thought suddenly struck her. "How long have we been gone?"

Emera flicked an ear back at the woman on her back, tension charging her body. "It has almost been three years."

Dria nearly fell off Emera's back at hearing this. "Three years? That's impossible! Only two seasons have passed on the Other Side." Dria was dumbstruck at the time difference. Just how much had Balinor changed for the worse?

* * *

Some sauciness in this chapter, hope you enjoyed it. A lot happened in this chapter.

As always, please Read and Review!

BVR


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